HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical pathway often starts in secondary school with courses in history, English, art, social sciences, and research or computer skills. After that, many people complete a university degree in a related field such as history, art history, museum studies, archival studies, or a similar subject, though exact backgrounds can vary by employer and specialization. Students may build early experience through museum volunteering, archives, gallery work, collections assistance, or internships. Some curators also gain experience in research, exhibit planning, conservation support, or supervising displays before moving into curatorial roles.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Recommend the acquisition of paintings, photographs, sculptures, documents and other museum and art gallery artifacts
- Research origins and artistic history of artifacts
- Develop storylines and themes and organize displays and exhibitions
- Co-ordinate the storage of collections and setting-up of displays and exhibitions
- Oversee the conservation, display and circulation of collections
- Supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.
- Conservators and curators may specialize in a particular type of collection or material, such as furniture, weapons, books, paintings and musical instruments.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
Customer ServiceKnowledge of historyOrganizational SkillsResearching