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Artistic director vs curator

The differences between artistic directors and curators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an artistic director and a curator. Additionally, an artistic director has an average salary of $72,755, which is higher than the $47,923 average annual salary of a curator.

The top three skills for an artistic director include artistic vision, community outreach and non-profit organization. The most important skills for a curator are facebook, historical research, and exhibit design.

Artistic director vs curator overview

Artistic DirectorCurator
Yearly salary$72,755$47,923
Hourly rate$34.98$23.04
Growth rate4%12%
Number of jobs7,019432
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4044
Years of experience66

Artistic director vs curator salary

Artistic directors and curators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Artistic DirectorCurator
Average salary$72,755$47,923
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $143,000Between $26,000 And $85,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsApple
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between artistic director and curator education

There are a few differences between an artistic director and a curator in terms of educational background:

Artistic DirectorCurator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorTheatreFine Arts
Most common collegeDuke UniversityHarvard University

Artistic director vs curator demographics

Here are the differences between artistic directors' and curators' demographics:

Artistic DirectorCurator
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 48.3% Female, 51.7%Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage11%13%

Differences between artistic director and curator duties and responsibilities

Artistic director example responsibilities.

  • Manage and develop the art & photography school programs along with maintaining the retail art gallery.
  • Manage content effectiveness, ROI, media orders, ad confirmations, production requests and discrepancy notices.
  • Choreograph and produce contemporary dances in NYC and Albany venues.
  • Recruit mid-career and establish artists to curate a collection for the gallery.
  • Plan and coordinate all competitions, public performances, venue, costumes, and ticketing.
  • Serve on ad hoc committee for creation and development of a new cabaret theater space.
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Curator example responsibilities.

  • Manage visual resource center, including acquisition, cataloging, budget management and other relevant issues.
  • Aid instructors in sorting through student works to curate gallery.
  • Produce written materials including wall labels and artists' biographies.
  • Participate in SEO research and compile a summary for the rest of the team.
  • Create and upload content daily, using a web-base administration tool, and HTML.
  • Assist with inquiries regarding scanning Photoshop, PowerPoint and other vr-relate software and equipment.
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Artistic director vs curator skills

Common artistic director skills
  • Artistic Vision, 21%
  • Community Outreach, 12%
  • Non-Profit Organization, 8%
  • Press Releases, 6%
  • Public Speaking, 6%
  • Costume Design, 4%
Common curator skills
  • Facebook, 10%
  • Historical Research, 8%
  • Exhibit Design, 8%
  • Photography, 7%
  • Collections Management, 5%
  • Art History, 5%

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