Many established artists employ assistants. This can be a good way for artists to earn money, develop skills and learn about the art world.
Here, painter Michael McManus talks about working as an artist’s assistant.
Throughout my time at University I liked the idea of working as an artist assistant. I thought it would develop my technical painting skills whilst funding my own work.
Finding work as an artist’s assistant
In my second year at University I found an advert on uk.artshub.com to work as an assistant. It was in the lead up to the Frieze Art Fair. The job was for 5 months assisting on building a large sculpture.
I had quite a specific role in the work’s realisation. The piece had a timber frame which was intricately covered in pieces of paper. and It was my job to measure and attach these whilst helping to put together the frame.
This was my first time working as an assistant. I developed a good relationship with the artist, who also invited me to help install the piece on site. I have kept in contact since.
Approaching artists’ studios for assistant work
After Frieze I decided to find other artists to assist. I contacted artists that had continued to influence my practice whilst at University. I sent them an expression of interest with an informative section on my first assistant job.
I found email them directly worked better than sending mass mailouts to galleries.
After some rejections, I received a call from a painter who knew the artist I had assisted at Frieze. They offered me an internship for the next two months. It was unpaid and not contracted.
I was employed during a period where the artist had an upcoming show in Beijing and two commissions. This provided the benefit of seeing how he dealt with various deadlines and demands on his time.
I was only able to do these internships unpaid because while I was at university I had the support of a student loan. These internships proved invaluable when I started applying for similar paid positions.
In my final year I approached an artist I admired to request a paid assistant position. I chose this particular individual as his work drew many comparisons with mine. I admired how diverse his paintings were, constantly shifting with every exhibition. I had also written about him in my dissertation and so was very familiar with his practice.
I emailed him outlining my previous assistant jobs. This included
- A detailed (300 word) cover letter
- 6 images of my work
- references from the two previous artists I had interned for.
He was interested. After contacting my references he invited me to an informal interview.
During the interview I described my practice and the work I was currently making. I was then introduced to the team of assistants and shown the paintings in progress in the studio.
I began working two days a week on a trial basis for three months. The job was not contracted. I registered as self employed and submitted a monthly invoice to the artist’s gallery as agreed.
I negotiated a rate of pay with the artist and negotiated that this would increase after the trial period. (Generally assistants who had been working there longer had a higher rate)
During this time I trained to develop very specific painting methods. After the trial period the method of painting had become second nature. I could complete a painting every month and reached a stage where, even if the artist was away, I was confident in completing the necessary work.
I took on 4 days work a week, allowing myself a 3 day weekend for my own practice. The hours depended partly on the upcoming shows but it was easy to plan in advance if I had any other commitments.
A typical working day differed depending on the upcoming deadlines. Close to deadlines I worked extra hours and had to take on extra tasks that I wouldn’t usually do day to day. At busy times, extra people were brought in short-term to helo. I would need to help orientate them.
On a usual day the atmosphere in the studio is busy but not stressful. Everyone interacts with each other and we often talk about upcoming projects as well as our own work.
Challenges and benefits of working as an artists assistant
I found it a challenge to switch from the process of making and engaging with somebody else’s work and my own. It took me some time to be able to distance myself from what I had been making as an assistant and my own practice. This happened when making work for the artist became second nature.
Any such problems were outweighed by other constructive aspects of the job. The benefits of working there have been many and varied.
- I gained experiences in processes I wasn’t familiar with.
- After some negotiation I got access to the workshop facilities in the studio to use for my own work.
- I could also ask for technical advice from anyone working in the studio. (Some of the other assistants/ technicians specialised in various fields 3D modelling)
- I was invited to any shows the artist had. I could see the planning taking place for solo exhibitions in spaces that I aspire to one day exhibit work.
- I am part of a community of artists who share similar interests and ambitions.
Article by Michael McManus, as part of Artquest’s LIFE BOAT programme, 2012
This work has a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike License