India is a nation of unique folk art, culture and various traditions where you can get to see the combination of ancient and modern art forms. There is diversity in paintings, music, story-telling, sculpture and many more.
Initially, this area was not contemplated to be a successful career option. But, today these art forms are outstretching every corner of the world. If you have the ability and competence to know what the market wants, you can rule in this field.
1. Art Authenticator
This role is related to the paintings. The artistry of famous painters can yield millions of dollars. So, forgery can happen. And for untrained people, it is difficult to notice the difference between real paintings and fake ones. The role of art authenticators is to detect whether the acquired art piece is original or not. They are appointed by museums and private sectors as well.
2. Art Restorer
An art restorer needs to restore the degraded or damaged artworks to their original state keeping their originality intact. A Scientist and an artist are put together in this position to work as an art restorer. It is teamwork consists of a scientist, artist and restores to understand the original composition of the artwork maintaining the original essence.
3. Blogger
As mentioned earlier folk art is not considered a stable career option. As a blogger, you can feature the complications faced by the artisans. You can illuminate more and more people about the art form. If you have that tendency to play with words and know how to bring up the issues then, you can also work as a folk art blogger.
4. Curator
A curator looks after storage, historical record, artefacts or digital files depending upon the proportions of the organization, curators could potentially be responsible for working with artists, collectors, donors or different organizations to collect artwork, validation and storage, original analysis and publication.
Generally, curators work in museums, libraries and various arts organizations. Although, in recent years the role of a curator has expanded to include business curators supervising company record and art collections, government curators working with public areas, and freelance curators.
5. Entrepreneur
You can become an entrepreneur in the folk arts. There are many music artists who hardly get any chance to showcase their abilities. Being an entrepreneur, you can benefit the artisans and the buyers as well.
You can as well set up an agency that deals in the resale of sculptures, paintings, etc. Not each and every craft form is economically feasible from the beginning, so, minimal tempering and too much advertisement are needed.
6. Museum Director
To become a museum director you must have a management degree with sound knowledge of museum preservation and run. The majority of the government museums want directors to have a master degree in archaeology and museology.
And if the museums are private, then you should be proficient in fundraising, promotions, etc. You should know how to organize shows, promote among the visitors and to manage the artworks as well.
7. Musician
As an artist, you can work as a folk musician. Nowadays, they are actually in great demand. You can showcase your talent in folk festivals organized all over the country, participate in many reality shows, and even you can start your personal YouTube channel.
In the film industry also, there is an enthusiasm for music with local zest. You can also perform with different bands or take out your individual album.
8. Painter
In India, there is plenty of folk or local paintings which are yet to be discovered. Many universities like BHU, Rabindra Bharti etc. are famous for their fine arts department. A painter is supposed to have business skills and good communication skills, as this will help you in your professional life. You can plan to work in creating customized paintings with various firms.
9. Photographer
You can start your journey into the fields of folk arts as a photographer. You can choose to work with the entrepreneurs or as a freelance. As a photographer, you will market the products with your photographs. You will be required to travel and discover different art forms.
10. Teacher
If you are NET qualified and have the required degree you can become a lecturer in colleges as many Indian universities are concentrating on familiarizing folk art. Several central universities have courses for fine arts, dramatics, and music.
In this profession, you can research and explore any particular area’s folk art. In current days, many schools are encouraging folk art. As a teacher, you can train students in the local or any other art form.
-by Rajeshwari Mishra
