Career Advice & News Center

For some people, the stock market, the court of law or the physician’s table do little to excite the senses. Noting the ways in which art can express details about chaos or confusion in poignant ways, professionals in artistic fields often elect to surround themselves with calming portraits.

Last month, Henry T. Hopkins, who died recently at the age of 81, was honored for his accomplishments as a museum director and educator, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though he got his start in the field of art as a student in California, he reached national prominence as director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where he worked from 1974 to 1986.

In an interview with the Times in 1998, Hopkins explained that he had been painting since he was about six years old. "Art just grew naturally with me," he commented.

From his experiences as an art student in Chicago, military photographer in Germany, art teacher in San Diego and museum curator in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the aficionado always kept artwork a pivotal part of his life.

"No one had more to do with establishing the very high quality visual art programs at our university, including the academic programs and the Hammer Museum," Christopher Waterman, dean of UCLA's School of the Arts and Architecture, told the news source.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that employment for artists can include positions as art directors, craft artists, cartoonists, illustrators for publications and medical diagrams, as well as multi-media experts.

While many traditional and online universities offer degrees in fine arts, some independent schools of art and design provide postsecondary training in crafts, fine arts and multimedia arts, often involving studio work.