Careers In The Arts: Curator
What is a Curator?
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution e.g. gallery, museum, library or archive is a content specialist responsible for an institution’s collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material. The object of a traditional curator’s concern necessarily involves tangible objects of some sort, whether it be artwork, collectibles, historic items or scientific collections. More recently, new kinds of curators are emerging: curators of digital data objects and biocurators.
In smaller organizations, a curator may have sole responsibility for acquisitions and even collections care. The curator will make decisions regarding what objects to take, oversee their potential and documentations, conduct research based on the collection and history that provides proper packaging of art for transportation, and shares that research with the public and community through exhibitions and publications. In very small volunteer-based museums, such as local historical societies, a curator may be the only paid staff member.
In larger institutions, the curator’s primary function is as a subject specialist, with the expectation that he or she will conduct original research on objects and guide the organization in its collecting. Such institutions can have multiple curators, each assigned to a specific collecting area (e.g., Curator of Ancient Art, Curator of Prints and Drawings, etc.) and often operating under the direction of a head curator. In such organizations, the physical care of the collection may be overseen by museum collections managers or museum conservators, and documentation and administrative matters (such as insurance and loans) are handled by a museum registrar.
Types of Curators:
Zoo Curator: Responsible for the acquisition of animals
Fashion Curator: Responsible for acquiring collections of clothing; from ethnic items to popularized trends
Museum Curator: Responsible for managing all collections of a museum (the Museum curator is also usually the museum manager.)
Art Curator: Responsible for managing and acquiring works of art which reflect a specific period or movement
What Skills and Education Does a Museum Curator Need?
A museum curator career starts with a passion for art and art history. Before becoming a museum curator, an individual should first make sure that he truly appreciates all different sorts of art. Having some artistic abilities of one’s own is also helpful, but it isn’t always necessary.
Art museum curators generally need to have a Bachelor’s degree in fine art, art history, or a related field. A Master’s degree in a more specialized field is also usually required. On top of those degrees, many museum curators earn their Doctoral degrees as well. Individuals interested in a museum curator career should also consider earning a degree in museum studies as well.
What is the Average Salary of a Museum Curator?
Due to the specialized nature of this profession, individuals interested in a museum curator career can often expect to make decent money. A curator’s annual wage will also usually be influenced by the size of a museum as well. Generally, very large museums will offer higher salaries.
How Does a Museum Curator Find Work?
The competition for museum curator positions is generally very strict, and a new graduate should not expect to be hired as a curator right away. Instead, an individual may need to work in a museum in another position, such as an archivist or art restorer, before a curator position opens up. He will then usually need to apply for the position and compete against several other experienced and qualified applicants.
