Curator Career Profiles

A curator is defined as a person who is in charge of things that are in an exhibit. Most commonly, curators are responsible for the collections that are housed in art galleries, museums, and libraries. They are tasked with the important responsibility of collecting, preserving, restoring, and educating visitors about the collections they oversee.

The actual duties of a curator vary at different locations. At smaller institutions, curators can sometimes be the only ones responsible for a collection. This means they make all of the decisions on what to add to the exhibit, handle historical research, and take care of the pieces. At larger organizations, the curator is typically part of a more substantial team. There are other individuals who document the pieces and take care of them, so the curator can focus more on researching and collecting. Additionally, there may even be multiple curators who specialize in various areas.

With technology playing such a significant role in our lives today, the duties of curators are heading into the digital realm. An important task that many exhibits face is digitizing images, videos, and documents, so they will be permanently preserved.

Check out the career profiles below for more information. We conducted real-world interviews with curators to get you the inside scoop on necessary qualifications, what they really do, how much they earn, and so on. Simply click below to learn more about the career path of a curator.