Career Exploration and Development
Arts, Communications, and Creative Professions
The journey is rarely linear, because each person’s pathway is unique and filled with various experiences along the way (just like creativity itself). Success in the creative fields requires more than raw talent. It also takes skills in communication, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and networking—that is, the skills you’re developing as an Oberlin student.
Kyle Farris serves as Assistant Director for Career Readiness and advisor to the Arts, Communications and Creative Professions Career Community. He is also the liaison to the integrative concentrations in Arts Administration and Leadership and Journalism.
Schedule an appointment with Kyle (Career Exploration and Development - Arts, Communications, and Creative Professions Career Advising).
From graphic design to film, you will apply your creative vision to myriad tasks and organizations, whether it is a nonprofit, a private company, or your own business. You might be surprised at the variety of opportunities and employers in this sector. Our internships will cover fields such as:
Arts and Design
- Dance
- Design
- Music
- Performing arts
- Photography
- Theater
- Visual arts
- Fashion
- Museums and Galleries
Creativity
- Animation
- Comic books and graphic novels
- Communications
- Film
- Media and entertainment
- Newspapers and magazines
- Recording
- Publishing
- Radio and podcasts
- Producing
Building on Oberlin’s unique history of learning and labor, integrative concentrations help students translate theory into practice, imaginary audiences into real people, critique into constructive solutions. Each program involves coursework, experiential learning, and the completion of a digital learning portfolio, a unique tool for students to reflect on their concentration while presenting signature accomplishments to audiences within and beyond campus.
Click the links below to learn more about integrative concentrations related to Arts, Communications, and Creative Professions.
Take advantage of all the jobs, leadership roles, and other opportunities that are available to you on-campus or in the Oberlin community. This can be a great way to explore your interests, develop your skills, and build experience that can transfer to your career journey after Oberlin.
- Allen Memorial Art Museum Docent Program
- Obiewood: Oberlin Entertainment Network
- Student Organizations
- Black Musicians Guild, OC
- Concert Board (OCCB)
- Film Co-op
- Gender Inclusivity in Music (SGIM)
- Hip Hop Collective, Oberlin (OHOP)
- Latinx Music Union
- Modern Music Guild (MMG)
- Musical Theatre Association, Oberlin (OMTA)
- Oberlin Student Theater Association (OSTA)
- Student Union Programming Committee (SUPC)
- Theater Association, Ob Student (OSTA)
- The Oberlin Review
- Wilder Voices
Connect with alumni through OberLink, Oberlin's student-alumni networking platform. Join the Career Community for Arts, Communications, and Creative Professions to engage with members from all over the world in various fields.
Joining a professional association as a student or alumni is a great step to take in your career journey. Professional associations can give you access to job and internship databases, keep you up-to-date on information and news related to your career industry of interest, and connect you to a wonderful network of professionals in your field. We recommend following the association on LinkedIn as well to receive their content in your newsfeed and begin networking with other members on the platform!
Performing Arts - Dance
- The American College Dance Association
- The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA)
- Dance/USA
- National Dance Council of America
- The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
- World Dance Alliance Americas (WDAA)
Performing Arts - Music
- AFM (American Federation of Musicians)
- ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
- American Choral Directors Association
- APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals)
- ISME (International Society for Music Education)
- ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts)
- MTNA (Music Teachers National Association)
- National Association for Music Educators
- National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
- Recording Industry Association of America
- WFMT (World Federation of Music Therapy)
Performing Arts - Theater
- Actors’ Equity
- American Association of Community Theatre (AACT)
- The American Alliance for Theatre & Education
- Association of Performing Arts Professionals
- Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
- Broadway League
- Dramatists Guild of America
- Educational Theatre Association
- The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
- Theatre Communications Group (TCG)
- United Scenic Artists Local USA 829
Visual and Digital Arts
- Society of Illustrators
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- National Cartoonists Society
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
- National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA)
- American Association of Museums (AAM)
- Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE)
- Association of Midwest Museums (AMM)
- Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA)
- American Institute of Graphic Artists
- Graphic Artists Guild
- Industrial Designers Society of America
- International Graphic Arts Education Association, Inc.
- The Society of Illustrators
- Society of Publication Designers
Entertainment
- Association of Public Television Stations (APTS)
- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
- North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
- The International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT)
- Media Communications Association International (MCA-I)
- SAG-AFTRA
Fashion
Publishing/Journalism/Media
- ACES: The Society for Editing
- National Association of Science Writers
- American Journalism Review (AJR)
- American Press Institute (API)
- American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE)
- American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)
- American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
- American Society of News Editors (ASNE)
- Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA)
- Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
- Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN)
- Association for Women in Communications
- International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
- Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)
- Magazine Publishers of America (MPA)
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
- National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA)
- National Newspaper Association (NNA)
- National Press Club Online
- National Society of Newspaper Columnists
- Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
- Newspaper Association of America (NAA)
- The Newspaper Guild: Communication Workers of America
- Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Arts Education and Therapy
Coming soon!
The following resources provide a variety of job search databases related to careers in arts, communications and creative professions.
Museums
- Museum Jobs
- American Alliance of Museums
- Small Museum Association
- New England Museum Association
- Association of Midwest Museums
- Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
- Mountain-Plains Museum Association
- Southeastern Museums Conference
- Western Museums Association
- Global Museum
Theater
Journalism
- Society of Professional Journalists
- Journalism jobs and a photo of my dog
- West Coast Media Jobs & More
- JournalismJobs.com
Entertainment
Publishing
Media
Public History/Historic Preservation
Arts
- New York Foundation for the Arts
- Alliance of Artist Communities
- ARTJOBS
- Art Jobs
- Americans for the Arts
- College Art Association
Dance
Publishing
We Need Diverse Books: A nonprofit with the aim of diversifying children's publishing and creating more opportunities for marginalized authors.
Lambda Literary Resources for Writers: Organization supporting LGBTQ+ writers.
Hurston/Wright: Workshops, classes, and awards for Black writers.
Harper Collins Author & Design Academy: A six week writer's workshop for ethnic minority applicants from the U.K. and Ireland.
Film/TV
Paramount Writers Mentoring Program: 8 month professional development program for aspiring writers from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds
Sesame Workshop Writer's Room: Virtually accessible program to diversify children's programming.
Sundance Institute Outreach and Support: Various programs and fellowships to increase diversity in film.
American Film Institute: AFI statement of support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, including links to relevant organizations.
The Writer's Guild Foundation Fellowship Programs for Screenwriters: Centralized database for early career screenwriting fellowships, including ones support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Director's Guild of America Television Director Development Programs: Centralized resource for supporting television directors, including several early career and diversity, equity, and inclusion focused programs.
Theater
IAMA Theatre Company Comissions: Support for early career theater writers, with commissions available for underrepresented applicants.
The Allen Lee Hughes BIPOC Fellowship: Supporting early career theater professionals from historically marginialized populations.
Arts
The Association of Arts Admnistration Educators (AAAE) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Fellowship: Research fellowship for graduate students to study administration and management in the arts.
Princeton Lewis Center for the Arts Fellowships: Early career fellowships to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in a variety of arts fields.
The Art of Autism: Supporting artists on the spectrum
Andrew Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation
Dance
Dance USA Fellowships: Opportunities for BIPOC and historically underrepresented artists and dancers.
Arts, Communications, and Creative Professions Jobs and Internships
Below is a sampling of jobs and internships currently posted for Obies. Log in to Handshake to see all of the available opportunities in Arts, Communications, and Public Service Sector fields.