Who is a Museum Curator?

​A museum curator is someone who is employed by a museum to handle and arrange exhibits, collections, and other items meant to be displayed in the museum. They also oversee and preserve the collections and artifacts, ensuring their integrity and condition.

Museum curators can provide details and create exhibits that make visitors' experiences enjoyable and help them navigate the museum. They might also be involved in activities such as fundraising, promoting the museum, managing its public image, and developing educational initiatives related to the institution.

The main duty of a curator is to manage the collections held in a museum; so the word "curator" comes from the Latin verb "curare," meaning "to care for," and has evolved significantly in the last 25 years.  It now includes both the traditional role of managing collections in museums and overseeing departments in large museums.

Museums employ several professionals, including exhibit designers, fundraisers, conservators, collections managers, educators, and museum directors. Curators serve as pivotal figures who work together with all these staff members. A museum's limited storage space necessitates curators deciding which items are worthy of being acquired for its collections.

A museum curator's specific roles and duties can differ based on the museum's size. A museum curator who works for a smaller museum is likely to have a broader range of tasks and might also need to handle administrative or managerial roles alongside their curatorial work. While curators who work for larger museums often focus on a specific field of expertise, handling tasks that are exclusively connected to their area of specialization.

The role of a curator also involves creating themes for exhibitions and conducting research on the museum's collections and displays. Exhibit concepts are carefully mapped out over some time (as long as three years in some cases) to facilitate negotiations for borrowing artifacts from other museums or private collectors. Curators work closely with exhibition designers and educators to craft exhibits that captivate and educate the broader audience.

A museum curator is expected to possess several technical skills. These skills might range from research to project management, fundraising, collections management, and art collections skills. It is also important that the curator understands fine arts, museum displays, educational initiatives, and oral traditions. 

Collections management involves the systematic recording, safeguarding, and explanation of items crucial to fulfilling a museum's objectives. Curators use collections management to systematically list and categorize their artifacts, monitor where they are stored, and ensure their preservation.

Art collections consist of artworks assembled by either artists or curators. Museum curators use art collections for conducting studies, arranging public exhibitions, and showcasing artworks to audiences. They also work hand in hand with contract conservators to develop treatment plans for the artworks in their collections.

Another museum skill a curator must possess is museum exhibit skills. Museum exhibits showcase items and details within a museum setting. Curators are also responsible for creating and managing displays, as well as crafting descriptions on placards to explain them.

As a museum curator, you should be good at cataloging. Cataloging is the creation of entries for items or objects. Museum curators use cataloging methods to monitor and organize the artifacts within their collections. They input information into software applications, handle the processing and organization of newly acquired artifacts, and instruct volunteers on correct cataloging methods.

Joel Bartsch

Shop