Curator vs conservator

The differences between curators and conservators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a curator, becoming a conservator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a curator has an average salary of $47,923, which is higher than the $46,396 average annual salary of a conservator.

The top three skills for a curator include facebook, historical research and exhibit design. The most important skills for a conservator are social security, condition reports, and photographic documentation.

Curator vs conservator overview

	Curator	Conservator
Yearly salary	$47,923	$46,396
Hourly rate	$23.04	$22.31
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	432	79
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	4

Curator vs conservator salary

Curators and conservators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Curator	Conservator
Average salary	$47,923	$46,396
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $85,000	Between $25,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Apple	The Mariners' Museum and Park
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between curator and conservator education

There are a few differences between a curator and a conservator in terms of educational background:

	Curator	Conservator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Fine Arts
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Maryland - College Park

Curator vs conservator demographics

Here are the differences between curators' and conservators' demographics:

	Curator	Conservator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between curator and conservator duties and responsibilities

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.

Conservator example responsibilities.

Create initial inventory of finances and physical items own by estate and submit to probate court.
Analyze prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts, including data entry for cataloging.
Design costumes and usher for mainstage productions.
Perform archeological field excavations and laboratory analysis.

Curator vs conservator skills

Common curator skills

Facebook, 10%
Historical Research, 8%
Exhibit Design, 8%
Photography, 7%
Collections Management, 5%
Art History, 5%

Common conservator skills

Social Security, 17%
Condition Reports, 14%
Photographic Documentation, 12%
Condition Assessment, 12%
Conservation Lab, 11%
Conservation Treatments, 10%

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Curator vs Conservator

Updated January 8, 2025

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