Art preparator vs museum registrar

The differences between art preparators and museum registrars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an art preparator and a museum registrar. Additionally, an art preparator has an average salary of $59,856, which is higher than the $43,424 average annual salary of a museum registrar.

The top three skills for an art preparator include art exhibitions, art installation and art preparation. The most important skills for a museum registrar are condition reports, fine arts, and computer database.

Art preparator vs museum registrar overview

	Art Preparator	Museum Registrar
Yearly salary	$59,856	$43,424
Hourly rate	$28.78	$20.88
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	2,769	2,842
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Art preparator vs museum registrar salary

Art preparators and museum registrars have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Art Preparator	Museum Registrar
Average salary	$59,856	$43,424
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $120,000	Between $23,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between art preparator and museum registrar education

There are a few differences between an art preparator and a museum registrar in terms of educational background:

	Art Preparator	Museum Registrar
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Fine Arts
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Art preparator vs museum registrar demographics

Here are the differences between art preparators' and museum registrars' demographics:

	Art Preparator	Museum Registrar
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%	Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 3.5% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 3.5% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between art preparator and museum registrar duties and responsibilities

Art preparator example responsibilities.

Manage graphic arts department and camera and typesetting departments.
Work on set design and advance photo editing including color swapping and color correcting for commercial photography studio.
Generate quotes for custom screen print and embroidery projects that require art time and or outside service bureau charges.

Museum registrar example responsibilities.

Manage FoxPro database of historical and archaeological collections locate at state parks throughout Florida.
Train, mentor and supervise museum volunteers and interns, providing example-base leadership to facilitate knowledgeable and customer-service orient staff.
Create and present educational PowerPoint oral presentations.

Art preparator vs museum registrar skills

Common art preparator skills

Art Exhibitions, 34%
Art Installation, 21%
Art Preparation, 21%
Museum Standards, 15%
Condition Reports, 9%

Common museum registrar skills

Condition Reports, 28%
Fine Arts, 25%
Computer Database, 20%
Cataloging, 14%
Permanent Collection, 12%

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Art Preparator vs Museum Registrar

Updated January 8, 2025

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