Q: What is the value in studying Art History? A: Priceless
Q: What is the value in studying Art History?
A: Priceless
This is an exchange I just stumbled upon whilst browsing Yahoo Answers. As an Art Historian, I have to agree. I love the succinct, one-word answer. I’d like to take this discovery as an opportunity to revel a bit on the initial question.
The answer to this question that did not win encouraged the questioner to study something else unless they sought a career in teaching art history. The loser in this contest certainly is right in stating that many of those who study Art History do, indeed, go on to careers in teaching. Yet, I believe there are some overlooked skills gained through an education in Art History that could be overlooked.
1. Good Art Historians are the best writers
If you haven’t taken an Art History class, you’ve probably never tried to thoroughly describe something that is readily recognisable in visual terms in written language. This is called a visual vocabulary, and it’s much trickier than you’d think at first.
Writing about art requires an expanded vocabulary because to truly describe and analyse an object in written terms, a writer is required to find the most suitable words to avoid being overly verbose. I probably don’t need to mention here that the majority of recent graduates claiming to be excellent writers do not have such an expansive vocabulary.
Organisations should take a second look at those applying for jobs with Art History degrees. No matter your business, be it marketing, public relations, law or banking, bad grammar, limited vocabulary and overall appallingly bad writing is a blemish on the reputation of your organisation as a whole. A good Art History student will not create such problems. Instead, they will do an excellent job of managing warm, clear and concise communication with a broad range of audiences and/or clients.
2. Art Historians are interesting
Have you ever met someone new, say at a dinner party, and found yourself at a loss to come up with conversation topics? Art Historians rarely encounter this problem. They are curious about people, their experiences and their travels and they ask a lot of questions. Why do these students do this more than others? Because every Art Historian dreams of travel, could spend hours just wandering a city and enjoys hearing stories from others.
In this manner, Art Historians are particularly well suited to jobs working with clients. It is important for clients to feel important, and the Art Historian’s inquisitiveness will make anyone feel valued for their past experiences. Furthermore, since Art Historians are excellent written communicators, employers can rest assured that messages are coming across clearly and in the most professional manner.
3. Art Historians are sensitive to cultural diversity
Did you know that all graduate students in Art History are required to have studied both German and French? Sometimes, depending on their particular research interests, these students will be required to learn even more languages. Just within my small group of Art Historian friends, we collectively have studied: Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Latin, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Japanese and Chinese.
In correlation with the Art Historian’s studies of world cultures throughout history, this knowledge of languages provides the Art History student with a rare and valuable skill set. Not only can Art History students communicate across language barriers, but they also have the historical know-how to be able to contextualise cultural sensitivities. Major multi-national organisations can and should benefit from this specific set of skills that is best honed through the study of Art History.
Kristin V. Dean 