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Exhibit technician vs art preparator

The differences between exhibit technicians and art preparators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an exhibit technician and an art preparator. Additionally, an art preparator has an average salary of $59,856, which is higher than the $34,387 average annual salary of an exhibit technician.

The top three skills for an exhibit technician include exhibit design, prototyping and exhibit maintenance. The most important skills for an art preparator are art exhibitions, art installation, and art preparation.

Exhibit technician vs art preparator overview

Exhibit TechnicianArt Preparator
Yearly salary$34,387$59,856
Hourly rate$16.53$28.78
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs5,7602,769
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Exhibit technician vs art preparator salary

Exhibit technicians and art preparators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Exhibit TechnicianArt Preparator
Average salary$34,387$59,856
Salary rangeBetween $18,000 And $63,000Between $29,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between exhibit technician and art preparator education

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

Exhibit TechnicianArt Preparator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorFine ArtsFine Arts
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Exhibit technician vs art preparator demographics

Here are the differences between exhibit technicians' and art preparators' demographics:

Exhibit TechnicianArt Preparator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 80.1% Female, 19.9%Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%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%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between exhibit technician and art preparator duties and responsibilities

Exhibit technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage paperwork associate with HVAC procedures.
  • Diagnose, troubleshoot and repair systemic problems, commission new turbines, evaluate readiness for operations.
  • Perform archeological field excavations and laboratory analysis.

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.

Exhibit technician vs art preparator skills

Common exhibit technician skills
  • Exhibit Design, 21%
  • Prototyping, 17%
  • Exhibit Maintenance, 13%
  • Interactive Exhibits, 13%
  • Exhibit Components, 10%
  • Museum Exhibits, 9%
Common art preparator skills
  • Art Exhibitions, 34%
  • Art Installation, 21%
  • Art Preparation, 21%
  • Museum Standards, 15%
  • Condition Reports, 9%

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