Exhibits curator vs collections curator

The differences between exhibits curators 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 an exhibits curator and a collections curator. Additionally, a collections curator has an average salary of $48,745, which is higher than the $48,658 average annual salary of an exhibits curator.

The top three skills for an exhibits curator include curate, press releases and exhibit design. The most important skills for a collections curator are collections management, museum collection, and condition reports.

Exhibits curator vs collections curator overview

	Exhibits Curator	Collections Curator
Yearly salary	$48,658	$48,745
Hourly rate	$23.39	$23.44
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	268	3,223
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Exhibits curator vs collections curator salary

Exhibits curators and collections curators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Exhibits Curator	Collections Curator
Average salary	$48,658	$48,745
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $94,000	Between $24,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Virginia Beach, VA	Hampton, VA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	The University of Chicago	Stanford University
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between exhibits curator and collections curator education

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

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

Exhibits curator vs collections curator demographics

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

	Exhibits Curator	Collections Curator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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 exhibits curator and collections curator duties and responsibilities

Exhibits curator example responsibilities.

Manage visual resource center, including acquisition, cataloging, budget management and other relevant issues.
Compile a catalogue of artist biographies for guests to reference.
Assist in preparing zoo for AZA re-accreditation: create and clean exhibits as well as grounds keeping and diet preparation.
Design and implement comprehensive training programs focusing on artifact preservation and cleaning base on complete training course taken at Smithsonian.
Fashion and coordinate historical costumes for first person interpretation

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.

Exhibits curator vs collections curator skills

Common exhibits curator skills

Curate, 26%
Press Releases, 15%
Exhibit Design, 14%
Condition Reports, 10%
Adobe Photoshop, 9%
Graphic Design, 8%

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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Exhibits Curator
Exhibits Curator vs Collections Curator

Updated January 8, 2025

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