Curators
Overview
Curators are like treasure hunters and storytellers rolled into one, managing collections of artwork, historical artifacts, and cultural objects in museums, galleries, and cultural institutions. They design exciting exhibits, conduct tours and workshops for visitors, and use modern technology like digital databases and 3D scanning to preserve and showcase collections. This career combines research skills, creativity, and public speaking, often requiring a degree in art history, museum studies, or a related field. Curators work collaboratively with artists, historians, and education teams to bring history and culture to life for the public.
Did you know?
Most curator positions in American museums require a Master's degree or PhD in art history, museum studies, or a specialized field relevant to the collection.
At a Glance
Median Wage
$60,043.47 Avg/yr
Growth
Fast Growing
Top Skill
Operations Analysis
Key Responsibilities
- Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
- Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations.
- Establish specifications for reproductions and oversee their manufacture or select items from commercially available replica sources.
- Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.
- Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Schedule events and organize details, including refreshment, entertainment, decorations, and the collection of any fees.
- Arrange insurance coverage for objects on loan or for special exhibits and recommend changes in coverage for the entire collection.
- Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
- Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
- Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
- Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
- Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
- Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
- Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials.
Career Considerations
Advanced Education Requirements
Most curator positions in American museums require a Master's degree or PhD in art history, museum studies, or a specialized field relevant to the collection.
Highly Competitive Job Market
The museum curator field in the US has limited openings with many qualified candidates competing for each position, making networking and internships crucial.
Grant Writing and Fundraising Skills
American museums increasingly rely on external funding, making the ability to write grants and assist with fundraising efforts a valuable skill for curators.