What Major Do You Need to Be an Art Curator

Tending to History: How to Get a Museum Curator

If you added up all the people who visited American theme parks and major league sports games every twelvemonth, it still wouldn't full the number of almanac U.Southward. visitors to American museums. Americans dearest museums, and they believe them to be a more trustworthy source of information than local newspapers, academic and nonprofit researchers, books, teachers, and the government. This data gathered by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) shows just how popular museums are — and why it's so of import to keep the events of history and the expression of art vibrant and relevant.

A curiosity for the by, including where we came from and how we arrived where we are at present, helps to drive a deeper understanding of society today. This perspective allows us to sympathise our world, while likewise informing us as nosotros look to the future.

Museum curators possess a high level of curiosity, and work with historic archives, artifacts, and art to contribute to the preservation of history. Their passion helps drive institutions to brandish and conserve collections of artwork and historic items. Ultimately, their work shapes public access to, and agreement of, human culture itself.

What Does a Museum Curator Do ?

Because each museum is different in its philosophy, market, collections, and missions, the piece of work of a museum curator can depend on the organisation for which they work. Notwithstanding, their core duties include exhibition creation, collecting artifacts or fine art, tracking inventory, and conducting relevant enquiry.

The U.S. Agency of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that curators (besides known as archivists, when they handle records) interact with historically valuable objects, records, and documents. These duties tin can include:

• Collection
• Appraisement
• Cataloging
• Interpretation
• Maintenance
• Preservation
• Protection

Curators as well educate the public nearly their collections, and often assist with events and activities to bring people into the museum or site. The Princeton Review notes that grant writing is another common duty of curators, who often interact with collection managers or assistants.

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) also refers to curators as "data brokers" who foster date with the community through their expertise, creativity, network, and interpretation. Curators must exist active members of their customs — especially in museums, libraries, galleries, and archives — to find new methods to arroyo their piece of work.

While curators may collaborate with donors, visitors, and museum staff, they generally work behind the scenes, co-ordinate to Sotheby's Plant of Art. They manage the details and execution of preparing an exhibit, maintaining a drove, and helping the museum tell the story behind its artifacts or art. This requires the skills to select the perfect manner in which to display a collection. Curators must also know how visitors consume art or artifacts, and accommodate to the needs of the artist or establishment.

How to Get a Museum Curator

While the path toward becoming a museum curator may vary between candidates and workplace environments, there are several steps that near professionals accept.

Earn a Bachelor's Degree

For those wondering how to become a museum curator, the starting time stride is to acquire the proper education. The BLS states that well-nigh curator positions require a bachelor's and master's caste in a related field, such every bit fine art history, history, archaeology, or museum studies. Bachelor'due south degrees like the online Maryville University Available of Arts in History assistance students cultivate the skills considered cardinal to the position, including project management competencies, technical skills, and soft competencies such as organizational and communication skills.

Through the study of social and cultural history, curators are able to assign meaning and connexion between historical events and put them in context with today'due south culture. Curators must develop potent enquiry, writing, verbal communication, critical assay, and digital literacy skills to succeed in this highly competitive field.

Gain Feel

Bated from formal education, most curators also gain experience in the field through role-time work, internships, volunteering, or full-time jobs. For example, Marysville's Available of Arts in History allows students to participate in an internship, larn about your customs's history through a local history seminar, and study historical methods and digital humanities.

Practical experience allows curators to piece of work in a real-world setting and build stiff foundational experience in the function. While on the job, professionals develop organizational, technical, and analytical skills. They also tin build connections and gain a network of colleagues in the industry.

Earn an Advanced Degree

Curators must have all-encompassing knowledge of history and art, merely The Princeton Review notes that many also possess an agreement of restoration techniques, concern administration, and fifty-fifty public relations. While well-nigh all curators have a principal's degree, national museums and another sites crave curators to accept a PhD.

Museum Curator Salary

According to the BLS, the median salary for museum curators in 2018 was $54,000. The museum curator salary varies depending on factors such as educational experience, in-the-field experience, qualifications, location, and employer. Advancement is possible in some positions in big institutions, and the pinnacle positions in museums can be highly competitive.

Museum Curator Chore Outlook

The BLS expects employment of curators to grow 14% from 2016 to 2026, compared to 7% for all other occupations. This robust projected growth is due to the increasing public interest in museums and other cultural and historical institutions. Museums volition need more curators to manage and organize collections for public consumption.

AAM notes in its 2018 Museums as Economic Engines study that U.Due south. museums contribute most $50 billion to the nation's economic system and directly employs more than 372,100 people. The Princeton Review remarks that, as the industry grows, curators will keep to collaborate with colleagues for grant writing, publicity, and fundraising projects that are vital to the growth and longevity of their careers.

Innovation may also be a key driver of industry growth. The rise of engineering science has yielded the emergence of digital collections, such as oral histories and virtual museum tours that are available online. Curatorial staff may manage these collections every bit they continue to grow in popularity.

Larn More About How to Become a Museum Curator

If you have a curiosity for the by and a passion for art and history, a career as a curator may be right for yous. Acquire more well-nigh the online Maryville Academy Bachelor of Arts in History program.

Its versatile, innovative, and interactive curriculum is designed to help you primary the tools and techniques that curators utilize to research, communicate, clarify, and educate.

Learn more nigh how you can tailor your coursework to your personal, educational, and professional goals when yous earn your degree from Maryville University online.

Sources

American Alliance of Museums, Museum Facts & Data

American Alliance of Museums, "Museums every bit Economic Engines"

American Brotherhood of Museums Curators Committee, Curator Core Competencies

The Guardian, "Digital archives: making museum collections available to everyone"

Maryville University, Online Bachelor of Arts in History

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers

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Source: https://online.maryville.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/history/careers/museum-curator/

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