Curators recommend the acquisition or purchase of museum and gallery artifacts such as paintings, photographs, sculptures, and documents. They research the artistic origins and history of artifacts and organize displays and exhibitions according to themes. They oversee the conservation, circulation, and storage of collections.
Additionally, Curators develop and maintain an accurate cataloguing system of gallery items using computer software. They may need to write grant proposals and develop publicity materials. They supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.
Curators are employed in museums, art galleries and universities.
Skills
An archive is a place that stores a collection of records. These records can be paper, electronic, or other media. Archives are a repository for records of an individual or organization’s life that have been created and collected over the life of the enterprise. An archive preserves the collection on a permanent or long-term basis.
Creative Direction
Cultural Management refers to the group of people who design, implement, and maintain the creative direction and strategies of an artistic group. They work in many different areas within organizations. Creative, Artistic, and Program Directors design and establish artistic direction and programming, Editors control editorial publishing style, format, and content. The skill and knowledge of a Cultural Manager is essential to the success of film and theatre production companies, radio stations, advertising agencies, and internal corporate design and communication departments.
The Public Eye
Cultural Managers hold a very important position in the public eye. They are spokespeople for their organizations, they make appearances at public and social gatherings and develop and maintain relationships with other cultural organizations. They play a pivotal role in the development of staff and volunteers, teaching, training, and inspiring others to contribute their best work to the organization. A Cultural Manager is confident, outgoing, and energetic, an enthusiastic team player, working with people of all ages, backgrounds and skill sets.
Concrete Skills
Many aspects of a Cultural Managers job require concrete skills to direct the many facets of an organization. Daily routines include administrative duties such as, planning, coordinating events, promoting, marketing, and delegating responsibility. These skills are crucial to maintaining the smooth flow and progress of productions, events, and publications.
Thinking Creatively
Beyond the administrative duties and leadership skills that are essential to a successful Cultural Manager, is the ability to think and act creatively. Cultural Managers face new challenges everyday; they must draw upon their versatility to meet the needs of a diverse network of creative individuals. They face these challenges with enthusiasm and artistic flare.
A bachelor’s degree is typically required but most Curators have a master’s degree specializing in an area such as fine arts, archeology, or history.