This course for established and aspiring art world professionals alike takes participants into the crucial spaces of New York City -the global art market’s epicenter where contemporary art is produced, displayed, and sold. The city offers one of the most dynamic art scenes in the world, providing the ideal backdrop for exploring the links between art, business, and the international art market. Lectures and site visits will introduce participants to recent trends in art as well as key themes and concepts of contemporary art to understand how they influence the art that is being created today.
For those exploring career options in the vibrant art scene or considering a career change, as well as established professionals aiming to consolidate their knowledge, this course offers invaluable insights into the numerous professional paths available in the global art world by providing in-depth exposure to exclusive small-group conversations with professionals from both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors including artists, art dealers, curators, art fair managers, gallery owners, auction specialists and marketing professionals.
To identify the key players in New York’s contemporary art scene, from artists and curators to dealers and auction house specialists.
To understand the variety of career trajectories within the art world and what it means to be an art world professional, as explained by leading experts in the field.
To navigate confidently the contemporary art landscape in New York by exploring venues and neighbourhoods of contemporary art activity.
To become familiar with the most important and critically acclaimed artists, styles, and trends of the most recent years and terminology specific to the art world.
Faculty, New York
Dr Kathy Battista is a writer, educator, and a curator of exhibitions in museums, galleries, and non-profits. Her research is primarily focused on cross generational feminist art, in particular performance and body-oriented practice. She is the author of New York New Wave: The Legacy of Feminist Art in Emerging Practice and Renegotiating the Body: Feminist Art in 1970s London as well as co-editor of Creative Legacies: Artist Estates and Foundations. Battista has over twenty years of leadership positions in the art world. In 1997 she founded the Interaction program at Artangel, a renowned public art agency in London. She founded the MA Program in Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York, which she helmed for 11 years.
Read MoreDay 1: Gain a grounding in the topography of the New York art scene through an overview of current key players and the art market at large. Hear from an art advisor working in the city about their role and how they navigate the market.
Day 2: Spend the full day discovering the diverse gallery neighborhoods of New York, from established areas such as Chelsea and Tribeca to up-and-coming neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Meet with gallerists who will discuss their roles, their artist rosters, and the ins and outs of running a gallery in today’s market.
Day 3: Discover the increasingly important world of art finance, fractional ownership, and investment in art funds through lectures and discussion. Then, head to Sotheby’s auction house for a behind the scenes tour and Q&A with a department specialist.
Day 4: Bridge the art market with the not-for-profit sector by hearing from a museum administrator about the unique marketing, PR, and communications needs of institutions. After, head to one of NYC’s leading museums for a curator-led tour of a current exhibition, with a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities that non-profit organizations encounter.
Day 5: Dive into the future of the art market by learning about innovations such as Artificial Intelligence, the rise and fall of NFTs, and the usage of blockchain in the art world. The course ends with an engaging discussion of various careers in the art world led by the instructor.
Course participants take away in-depth and valuable insight into the current and future art world. Those who successfully complete their course will receive a certificate of completion from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art course participants come from all over the world, from a wide variety of backgrounds. As they study, travel, and explore the art world alongside each other throughout the program, fierce and long-lasting collaborations are frequently born. Individuals who complete these courses join our network of over 8,000 alumni around the globe who hold top positions at renowned art organizations.
English Language Requirement
Course participants should be proficient in written and spoken English and be able to participate in group discussions and presentations in English. It is recommended that participants have the equivalent level of IELTS score of 6.0 /TOEFL score of 78 IBT, however evidence of test scores is not required to register.
Age Requirement
Courses are open to participants 18 years of age or older, however, we prefer that students have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience to be able to properly engage in the course.
For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.