Director of exhibits vs collections curator

The differences between directors of exhibits and collections curators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of exhibits and a collections curator. Additionally, a director of exhibits has an average salary of $66,960, which is higher than the $48,745 average annual salary of a collections curator.

The top three skills for a director of exhibits include exhibit design, event management and trade shows. The most important skills for a collections curator are collections management, museum collection, and condition reports.

Director of exhibits vs collections curator overview

	Director Of Exhibits	Collections Curator
Yearly salary	$66,960	$48,745
Hourly rate	$32.19	$23.44
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	5,837	3,223
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Director of exhibits vs collections curator salary

Directors of exhibits and collections curators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Exhibits	Collections Curator
Average salary	$66,960	$48,745
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $101,000	Between $24,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	-	Hampton, VA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Stanford University
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between director of exhibits and collections curator education

There are a few differences between a director of exhibits and a collections curator in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Exhibits	Collections Curator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Fine Arts	History
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Director of exhibits vs collections curator demographics

Here are the differences between directors of exhibits' and collections curators' demographics:

	Director Of Exhibits	Collections Curator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between director of exhibits and collections curator duties and responsibilities

Director of exhibits example responsibilities.

Manage domestic and international travel arrangements including transportation, lodging, and logistics for individuals and groups utilizing travel management systems.
Create division budget, and report month to month ROI.
Organize the RFP process for selection of audio-visual, decorators, hotels and other vendors.
Develop RFP's and RFQ's for all major projects and maintain a positive relationship with vendors.
Provide strategic leadership and planning for the environmental nonprofit's commercial energy efficiency services, program design, and program implementation.
Used Marriott computer applications to manage and administer events.

Collections curator example responsibilities.

Manage and update museum's social media presence on Facebook.
Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
Handle all acquisitions and surplus placement with other AZA accredit institutions.

Director of exhibits vs collections curator skills

Common director of exhibits skills

Exhibit Design, 42%
Event Management, 9%
Trade Shows, 7%
Contemporary Art, 7%
Contract Negotiations, 6%
Educational Programs, 4%

Common collections curator skills

Collections Management, 18%
Museum Collection, 18%
Condition Reports, 12%
Newsletter Articles, 11%
Donor Relations, 9%
K-12, 8%

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Director Of Exhibits
Director Of Exhibits vs Collections Curator

Updated January 8, 2025

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