Becoming a curator requires extensive education and experience, including a bachelor’s degree and hands-on experience through internships. Specialized courses and a master’s degree can lead to work in small museums and regional galleries, while a PhD can make a curator more employable.
Becoming a curator, especially one working at the top of the field at institutions like the British Museum and the Smithsonian, takes a lot of work. Lead curators usually hold doctoral and graduate degrees, as well as considerable experience. Even curating at a lower level usually requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in addition to extensive experience. Someone who wants to become a healer, in other words, should plan on spending a lot of time in school.
Curators can work with many different types of collections, and this is something to think about early on in education. Someone wanting to curate at an art gallery, for example, should study art history and consider taking specialized courses to gain experience in a specific field, such as 18th-century Japanese woodcuts or 20th-century German art. Someone who wants to work in a museum that deals with collections of artifacts from ancient cultures, on the other hand, might consider cultural anthropology as an area of study.
As a student, someone who wants to become a healer must have hands-on experience. Internships in museums, art galleries, libraries and special collections should be used to build experience, and some curators also enjoy fieldwork opportunities, such as working on archaeological expeditions. It is important that the curator understands how items are acquired and collected and is familiar with the chemistry and science behind their work, as well as the cultural impact of artworks and artifacts.
With a bachelor’s degree and experience, one can enter the master’s program to become a curator. Some educational institutions offer programs specifically geared towards curators, while others offer more art history, anthropology and related topics. Someone who wants to become a curator must know what kind of collections he or she wants to work with so that they can be studied in graduate school. Someone wanting to work in early Roman history, for example, shouldn’t be studying Mayan civilization in graduate school.
Some curators find work with a master’s degree. Small museums and regional art galleries may find this qualification sufficient. If someone has a specific workplace of interest, it may be wise to talk to them about the characteristics they are looking for in a curator. It is also possible to find jobs as a museum technician, restorer or curatorial assistant in larger museums with a master’s degree.
However, earning a PhD and completing graduate work will make the curator more employable. It is also advisable to work, if possible, in an area of interest when completing the course. This can also lay the groundwork for a full-time job. For example, someone working at a national museum as a graduate student may be more likely to be considered for a position there when someone opens up. Once someone becomes a curator, the skill can also be applied to work, such as appraising items for auction houses and handling private collections.
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