A Day in the Life of a Curator
Curators (sometimes referred to as archivists in libraries) collect, exhibit, interpret, maintain,and protect objects of historical and aesthetic importance primarily in museums, libraries,and private collections. Curators are responsible for the safety and proper presentation of theworks. “It’s all so fascinating and beautiful that you can find yourself touching history,” wroteone respondent. This sense of connection to the motion and beauty of history as expressedthrough objects is something nearly all the curators who responded mentioned. Almost noneof them entered college with the expectation of becoming curators. The profession seemed to“just appear out of thin air.”Satisfaction and responsibilityare usually high in this profession at all levels, withthe exception of those curators who find that they areunable to spend enough time with the art they love because of their obligations to do publicity,fund-raising, and grant writing.Curators’ duties include creating exhibitions, acquiring works for the collection, meetingwith and educating trustees, labeling exhibits, accurately and carefully keeping track of inventory,and, at times, overseeing research on collection pieces to make certain the integrity ofthe piece is maintained (such as dating tests for fossils or X-ray analysis of paintings to determineorigin). “I’ve got a PhD, and I’m trying to find a good way to deal with termites,” saidone curator. These varied and wide-ranging duties require someone with a mind attuned todetails. Another facet of the curator’s job is educating the public about the objects and publicizingtheir existence. Most literature one receives 0r audio tracks one listens to at a museumwere written by a curator. Grant writing is the third area of responsibility for most curators;much of this is done in consultation with collection managers and curatorial assistants.Curators should have excellent written communication skills. Managing a large staff, includinginterns and volunteers, is the most unexpected side of the profession. Many curators findthe classification and preservation skills they know useless in coordinating the tasks of a full,dedicated staff. “You have to learn to delegate to people’s levels of competence,” mentionedone veteran curator, and others agreed. “Although you’re in charge,” said another, “you can’tdo it alone.” Curators who can manage a staff and the details of their job are, for the most part,successful in and excited by their choice of career.
Paying Your Dues
Both graduate education and practical experience are required for people who wish tobecome curators. Aside from an extensive knowledge of history and art, it is useful to have abasic understanding of chemistry, restoration techniques, museum studies, and even physicsand public relations. Curators must have basic skills in aesthetic design, organizational behavior,business, fund-raising, and publicity. Many employers look favorably on foreign languageskills as well. To become a collection manager or a curatorial assistant, a master’s degree isrequired. To become a curator at a national museum, a PhD is required, as is about five yearsof field experience. The market is competitive, and academic standards are very high. Usefulgraduate degrees include restoration science, curatorship, art history, history, chemistry, andbusiness administration. Nearly all curators find it helpful to engage in continuing education.Research and publication in academic journals are important for advancement in the field.
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Present and Future
Curatorship arose from the needs of museums, libraries, and societies to maintain andpreserve their collections while at the same time publicize them, encourage donations, andexpose the public to their artifacts. Curatorship existed as early as 1750 in the United Statesbut without any specific label until the early 1900s. The years 1950–1984 were strong years formuseum growth and funding, but beginning in 1985 and continuing into the present, museumshave been under severe financial pressure due to lack of government funding and generaleconomic trends.People who are interested in becoming curators should note that during lean-fundingyears, the position involves much more grant writing, publicity, and fund-raising than it doescollection maintenance and acquisition. Extra time spent at social functions to raise moneycan be significant. Funding decisions, however, are cyclical; what is true for the industry todaymay change within a very short period of time.
Quality of Life
PRESENT AND FUTURE
Most curators at this point are still in graduate school. Many take curatorial assistantpositions, as well as collection manager jobs (which are more task-oriented) togain experience and begin making connections that will prove invaluable later intheir careers. Duties of assistant curators include cataloging existing items and research.Some curators with good writing skills may be assigned to grant-writing positions, writing ofobject labels and other gallery text, as well as printed handouts. A significant number of peopleget jobs through the recommendations of their professors. The hours are long; the pay islow, if any pay is forthcoming at all.
FIVE YEARS OUT
Five-year veterans have completed at least a master’s degree, and many of them continuealong the PhD track. A number of curatorial assistants have become curatorialassociates with expanded responsibilities and hours. Many people who are notin school may be asked to travel during these periods; others who are in school may be askedto work odd hours, when there is no museum traffic. Duties include assisting with loanagreement forms for the temporary exhibitions; collecting images for publications; overseeinginterns, volunteers, and researchers; along with coordinating access to artifacts withscholars and academics who need access for research projects. A few begin to write copy foreducational and promotional literature.
TEN YEARS OUT
A number of professionals have achieved the status of curator or senior curator.These people are involved in planning the museum’s exhibition program, curatingexhibitions, writing catalog essays, staffing, budgeting, trading items with othermuseums, and piecing collections together for display. Responsibilities are extraordinarilyhigh; salaries become commensurate with the work. Curators direct any internal museumresearch on pieces and invite academics to join in the study. The newest responsibility thatcurators have is working with the president and chairman of the museum to direct all fundraisingefforts. Political skills are crucial for this position. Many curators teach at localschools, publish research, and review academic articles for publication. The hours are long,but satisfaction has never been higher. Ten-year curators face a strong future in this competitiveand demanding field.
