Museum Curator

What does a career as a museum curator involve?

Museum curators are the people who decide what we get to see when we walk through a museum's door. They plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, maintenance and exhibition of collections. Some curators may also help coordinate programs to educate special visitors to the museum, such as school classes and university field trips. To organise successful exhibitions and educational programs, curators often research topics and items relevant to the collections they have on display.

What qualifications or subjects do I need?

"Curators generally have a postgraduate qualification majoring in art, history and/or museum studies, as well as experience in a museum role, such as an assistant" says Stephanie Lambert, curator of the Te Awamutu Museum. Anthropology is another area of study which can lead to museum work. These topics can be studied within a Bachelor of Social Sciences.

Volunteering is also a crucial step in building experience of working in a museum. Those wishing to work in museums need to view volunteering as a crucial first step in their career, and students should consider volunteer work while they are still studying.

What skills are needed?

A strong sense of ethics as well as a commitment to biculturalism is important, as many New Zealand museum collections contain a high proportion of Maori taonga.

Good people skills are a must, as curators are often liaising with artists, art collectors and art institutes to obtain pieces and research exhibition, as well as consulting with designers over the presentation of displays.

Research skills are a crucial element of being a curator, as they are often researching exhibitions and related works. Curators must also keep up-to-date with exhibition news and overseas exhibitions.

Knowledge of marketing and public relations as well as good writing skills are useful, as curators often have the task of writing booklets and information about exhibitions and collections. They are also involved with generating publicity and fundraising for the museum.

What career opportunities will I have?

Museum curators can work in small museums to large national museums. There are some museums that travel around different destinations. Often curators will travel overseas as part of their work, sourcing new exhibits. In larger museums, each curator will have their own section to focus on. Attending training courses and seminars can allow curators to move into other areas.

See Also:

Graduate Profiles
Guidelines and Requirements for the BA