Working in the Arts – Art Tech Special: Tanya Van Sant

For the next few weeks we are focusing our Working in the Arts segment on the intersection between art and technology. To kick things off we chatted to Tanya Van Sant, Vice President of Personnel at Artlogic.

Since 1994, Artlogic has been building technology to improve the art world. With complete website and database integration, CRM and built-in sales management tools, they offer the world’s most advanced art platform for everyone – from small to large galleries, artists who are just starting out to established studios, and collectors of every type and size. Artlogic – Database & Websites for Galleries, Artists and Collectors

We get a lot of candidates saying they’d like to work in an art tech business. What advice would you give to someone wanting to work in this area of the art industry?

If you are technically savvy and love art, this is a great direction to move into. Some of the best jobs are in development, but there are also great positions in customer service, sales and support. If you are interested in development, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn some coding. Most coders are self taught these days, so you can learn it in your free time. Have a look at Python, Ruby, MySQL, HTML, or CSS. Any of these are helpful to learn if you want to be a developer. Or, if you are more of a people person, you can join the team at Artlogic and join our sales or client liaison teams!

What skills/ attributes/ values do you believe are critical for working in an art tech business?

It’s important to be excited by art and the power of technology to spread art to the world. You should be motivated and energized about the future of art.

What are the most positive aspects of working in an art tech organisation?

We get to see the future! The energy at Artlogic is fast-paced, youthful and inspired. Everyone is pulling together to make something important happen, and we feel it every day.

What has been your journey to working where you are now?

I began 30 years ago and started a company called ArtBase with my partner, which turned out to be the first database platform for art galleries that offered pictures and worked on a Mac. We started in our downtown New York apartment and it grew into a multi-national company. We have recently merged ArtBase into Artlogic and it is a very exciting time of renewal and growth. I decided to stay on as the VP of Personnel at Artlogic because I am so excited to see what the future holds for art and technology! Plus I get to focus on the people, which was always my favourite part of running an art/tech company.

Finally, what career advice would you give to your younger self?

Persistence. Find something you love and stick with it. Trust that you will get better every day. And don’t worry too much about the mistakes. That’s how you grow. If everyone was just instantly good at everything, it would be a very boring world. Enjoy the ride!

Thank you to Tanya for taking the time to talk to us. Find out more about Artlogic’s work here.