Gallery Director Job Description

Gallery Directors are responsible for running an art or design gallery and ensuring its profitability. They are also responsible for the organization and marketing of exhibitions, as well as the sales from those exhibitions. The gallery director is essentially the figurehead of the gallery and its reputation is directly associated with him or her.

Typical Job Duties

• Organization of gallery exhibitions

• Oversee sourcing of exhibits, as well as the safe return of items to their contributors

• Design the layout of the gallery

• Process loan arrangements and organize insurance for all works while they are on the premises

• Oversee day-to-day function of the gallery, such as maintaining security and staff records and monitoring the environmental conditions of the gallery

• Interact with visitors and promote the gallery

• Manage all gallery staff, including assistants, administration staff and security and others

• Secure cost effective contracts for 3rd party services such as artifact and display framing

• Conduct public education courses related to art appreciation

Gaining Experience to Become a Gallery Director

If you are interested in becoming a gallery director, it is recommended that you acquire as much experience as you can, both in relevant career work and in volunteering. To gain relevant experience, try volunteering in a variety of museums and galleries. While volunteering, be sure to work hard, network and learn as much as you can about museum and gallery operations.

You will likely have to gain work experience by working lower level jobs to begin your career. The title of ‘Gallery Director’ is not earned overnight; you may have to spend a few years in a few different positions in order to gain enough experience to inspire confidence in the Board of Directors that will hire you.

Scholarships for Becoming a Gallery Director

The Applicable Majors section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a Gallery Director. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our Art History Scholarships and Fine Arts Scholarships pages.

Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!