Museum Curator
Quick Facts
Median Salary$59,669
Most Common EducationBachelor's degree
Projected 10-Year Growth+20.86%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Museum Curator builds and maintains collections at art museums and other museums. Uses in-depth knowledge of art or other artifacts to plan displays and exhibits, advise on museum acquisitions, identify and appraise works. A Museum Director manages overall museum operations.
Core Tasks:
- 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.
- 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.
- Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
- 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.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
- Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials.
- Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns.
- Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.
- Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations.
What to expect as a Museum Curator
1Earn a Bachelor's degree
42% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Museum Curator related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
482 openings for Museum Curators
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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