ART CONSULTANT JOB DESCRIPTION

An Art Consultant translates a client's spatial and brand vision into a curated artwork program. From healthcare facilities navigating evidence-based design principles to luxury residential and commercial interiors, this role owns the full arc of client engagement, discovery, concept, and procurement, while holding the budget and timeline from proposal through installation. Every project demands fluency in both aesthetic judgment and contract management. Few professional disciplines ask equally for gallery-level connoisseurship and rigorous project oversight.

As the Art Consultant, you are accountable for building and delivering artwork programs that align with client design narratives, managing artist relationships and commission agreements, and ensuring on-budget, on-schedule installation across a concurrent portfolio of projects. You will work across internal art, design, and project management teams while serving as the primary creative and logistical point of contact for external clients throughout each engagement.

Career Impact: Deep experience managing artist contracts and client-facing artwork programs builds the kind of portfolio and market credibility that opens doors to senior consulting, curatorial, or creative direction roles within commercial design firms.

Business Impact: The artwork programs you develop directly shape the patient experience in healthcare environments and the brand identity of commercial interiors, spaces where the quality of curation is visible to thousands of end users.

Growth Opportunity: Exposure to procurement, fabrication coordination, and trade-show prospecting accelerates your path toward business development leadership or founding an independent consultancy.

• Develop art program concepts for client projects by reviewing design direction, project briefs, and client feedback to define appropriate creative scope.
• Source artists and artworks across markets, including trade shows and gallery networks, to build diverse and project-appropriate options.
• Prepare and present artwork proposals to clients, incorporating framing specifications, medium selections, and preliminary budget estimates.
• Manage artist commissions and vendor contracts from agreement through delivery, ensuring specifications and timelines are met.
• Establish and maintain project budgets and schedules across a concurrent portfolio from proposal through installation.
• Coordinate with art, design, project management, and fabrication teams to resolve production and logistics challenges at each project stage.
• Monitor and document active projects within the project management system, providing regular status updates to internal team leads and clients.
• Attend industry events and trade shows to prospect new client relationships and stay current with emerging artists and market trends.

• Bachelor's degree in Art, Art History, Design, Business, or equivalent work experience.
• 3 or more years of art consulting, interior design, or fine art sales experience, with demonstrated client-facing project ownership.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines and budget requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills sufficient to prepare client-facing proposals and document project specifications.
• Experience establishing and tracking project budgets, vendor costs, and procurement timelines.
• Demonstrated aesthetic judgment in artwork selection, framing, and spatial design contexts.
• Ability to build and maintain long-term client and artist relationships across project cycles.

• Experience working within healthcare, senior living, or evidence-based design environments where regulatory context shapes art program decisions.
• Familiarity with artwork framing specifications, print production, and fabrication coordination processes.
• Background in fine art or luxury goods sales with measurable revenue or portfolio growth outcomes.
• Exposure to contract negotiation with individual artists or artist representatives.

• Number of concurrent projects delivered on time and within the approved budget, per quarter.
• Proposal conversion rate, measuring how often submitted art program proposals result in awarded projects.
• Client retention rate across the managed account portfolio, reflecting relationship continuity across projects.
• Budget variance per project, tracking actual procurement and installation costs against initial estimates.
• Artist contract completion rate, measuring commissions delivered on schedule against signed agreements.
• Typical tools: Project management platforms (commonly Airtable or Filemaker); design and presentation software (commonly Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat).

• Base Salary Range: $55,000 – $85,000 annually, depending on seniority and market
• Bonus: Performance or project-based bonus is common; typically 5–15% of base salary
• Equity: Rarely offered; possible at small independent studios or startups
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage standard
• PTO: 12–18 days annually, with additional paid holidays
• Common Perks: Mileage or travel reimbursement for client site visits; professional development budget for trade shows and art fairs

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment is contingent on the successful completion of a background check. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process upon request. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

The Art Consultant owns the full project lifecycle from sourcing artists and conceiving art concepts to managing budgets, timelines, and installations for design-driven clients. Working across art, design, project management, and fabrication teams, this role delivers cohesive, on-budget art solutions that bring each client's design narrative to life.

Key Responsibilities

• Curate artwork collections.
• Work directly with clients to understand design narratives and conceive art concepts.
• Source new artists, artworks, and ideas.
• Maintain artist communication and manage artist contracts.
• Conceive and create artwork and design solutions in collaboration with the art department.
• Prepare and present inspiring proposals.
• Direct and manage artist commissions.
• Collaborate with art, design, project management, and fabrication teams to facilitate project solutions.
• Establish costs and maintain budgets and timelines from proposal through installation.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects through procurement and production.
• Manage delivery and occasional installation.
• Attend trade shows and industry events to meet and prospect new clients.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience as a professional art consultant or interior designer.
• Proficiency in MS Office and Google Drive, with Airtable and FileMaker a plus.
• Strong working knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat.
• Impeccable design aesthetic and eye for detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Robust time management and personal organisation skills.
• Comfortable working both independently and in a team environment.

Embedded within a retail gallery environment, the Art Consultant conducts in-person, phone, and email sales of original fine art and jewellery while maintaining gallery displays and supporting twice-annual artist shows. Working closely with gallery staff and clientele, this role sustains a welcoming, well-organised sales floor that converts prospective leads into lasting client relationships.

Core Functions

• Conduct in-person, phone, and email sales of original fine art and jewellery.
• Follow up with clients and prospective leads by phone or email.
• Maintain gallery displays, including signage, artist biographies, and general organisation and cleaning.
• Package smaller artwork and jewellery.
• Assist with twice-annual artist shows.
• Undertake additional projects and duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Experience

• Retail or customer service experience preferred.
• Passion for art required; artists should not apply due to a conflict of interest.
• Physical fitness to help move artwork in and out of viewing rooms.
• Ability to communicate with professionalism, clarity, humour, and intelligence.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite; some experience with QuickBooks and Adobe Photoshop is a plus.
• High energy, friendly, and outgoing personality with a professional appearance and composure.

Reporting to the healthcare team manager, the Art Consultant develops and executes art programme concepts across complex healthcare and senior living projects, delivering weekly updates and bi-weekly client follow-ups from project commencement through completion. Partnering with resource and project management teams, this role enables superior client outcomes by translating project goals into comprehensive, on-budget art programmes.

Primary Duties

• Manage daily tasks and job challenges as they arise.
• Build and maintain proactive client relationships, anticipating client needs throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide the highest level of customer service.
• Deliver weekly updates to the healthcare team manager and bi-weekly follow-ups with clients on active projects.
• Collaborate with the resource team to create appropriate art programmes.
• Create, report, and document all projects in the project management system on a consistent basis.
• Develop and execute art programme concepts by reviewing client direction, project boards, and notes to understand overall project goals.
• Edit, refine, and prepare client presentations and review client feedback.
• Design framing and medium sizes, and work with the project manager to obtain initial costs from artists and vendors for budgeting purposes.
• Manage and complete all project specifications.
• Work effectively within a team of experienced professionals as well as independently.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Art, Art History, or Design.
• Minimum 4–8 years of relevant experience in the art, healthcare, and/or senior living industries.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience is accepted.
• Strong time-management skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong experience with basic office programmes.

Sitting at the intersection of technical art and interactive software development, the Art Consultant embeds with external customer teams to build art production workflows, integrate real-time assets including particle systems and shaders, and advise on pipeline improvements. Operating across internal development teams and customer organisations, this role shapes the quality and efficiency of interactive applications by bridging artistic vision with platform technical constraints.

Duties

• Become embedded with external customer teams to develop interactive applications and tools.
• Develop and maintain art production workflows and pipelines by writing scripts and tools to aid artists in content creation.
• Visit customers for short-term consultations and advise on improving existing pipelines.
• Produce and integrate assets, including particle systems, shaders, and other VFX, into customer applications without sacrificing artistic vision or exceeding platform technical limits.
• Build close relationships with internal development teams and provide customer feedback and use cases.

Skills & Qualifications

• Comprehensive knowledge of rendering fundamentals, including modelling, unwrapping, texturing, shading, surfacing, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and pipeline tool development.
• Deep understanding of technical art asset delivery suitable for real-time usage and application.
• Experience writing and optimising shaders for real-time rendering.
• Experience developing in a team context using one or more interactive content engines, such as Unity, Unreal, or in-house engines, and version control systems, such as Perforce, Git, or Mercurial.
• Experience working with large art pipelines and writing scripts in languages such as C# or Python to automate processes and conduct data validations.
• Experience in digital content creation using tools such as Substance Painter, Substance Designer, and ZBrush.
• Experience delivering training and technical talks, and writing technical articles and documentation.
• Proficiency in tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3ds Max or Maya.
• Ability to guide customers by clearly communicating ideas and technical knowledge via written reports.

A key member of the gallery sales team, the Art Consultant builds long-lasting client relationships and achieves personal sales objectives within a fine art and luxury sales environment. Collaborating across gallery operations, this role delivers top-quality customer service and supports day-to-day functions, including order processing and floor organisation, that sustain a high-performing sales operation.

Functions

• Achieve personal sales objectives and goals.
• Develop and cultivate long-lasting client relationships.
• Provide top-quality customer service.
• Research artists' backgrounds and maintain knowledge of inventory.
• Assist with basic gallery operations, including opening and closing, order processing, and organising the sales floor.

Requirements

• College degree preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in fine art or luxury sales.
• Ability to thrive in a sales environment and willingness.
• Flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Team-focused and collaborative working style.