Career: Curators
Curators do much more than handle artwork or artifacts and design museum and zoo exhibits. The job of managing a collection is broad-based. It involves working with people as much as, if not more than, the pieces in the collection.
Curators work with museum educators, zookeepers, publicists, and publishers to produce exhibits complete with special events and publications. And they work closely with other curators, museum directors, and board members to grow the museum, gallery, or zoo collection, be it artwork or plants or living animals.
Curators run the educational, research, and public service activities of museums, zoos, and other institutions.
Did You Know?
- Curators usually specialize in a certain type of object or specimen, such as West African sculpture, dinosaur fossils, or living elephants.
Are You Ready To...?
- Study, examine, and test objects to determine their origin, age, and composition
- Maintain records and databases
- Negotiate the purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections
- Plan the exhibition of collections
- Write grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials
- Work with a board of directors to decide on budgets and plan operations
- Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote your institution
- Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours and lectures
It Helps to Be...
Flexible and a good communicator, since the job requires a lot of teamwork. It also helps to be organized, as you may coordinate several projects at once.
Make High School Count
- Get a good foundation in studio art and art history. Consider taking the AP® Art History exam.
- If you wish to work in a zoo, take challenging biology and chemistry courses.
- Make the most of class research assignments to build good library and online research skills.
- Run for student government or take on a leadership role in a school club or on a sports team.
- Volunteer with local historical societies, art galleries, museums, or zoos, and get to know the ins and outs of these places.
Did You Know?
- Although museum studies programs are helpful, it’s a thorough knowledge of the museum’s specialty and museum work experience that employers really look for.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for curators to grow as fast as the average for all careers through 2014. However, that doesn't mean it will be easy to find a job -- far from it. Careers in museums and zoos are very popular, and there are not enough job openings for all qualified job hunters.
To compete for work, you'll need to be highly trained with at least one graduate degree. You'll also need to have some expertise in your area of interest.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that curators earned an average yearly salary of $49,980 in 2006. In general, large museums pay better than small ones.
