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Museum assistant vs art conservator

The differences between museum assistants and art conservators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a museum assistant and an art conservator. Additionally, an art conservator has an average salary of $60,547, which is higher than the $40,072 average annual salary of a museum assistant.

The top three skills for a museum assistant include museum exhibits, front desk and museum visitors. The most important skills for an art conservator are conservation practices, , and .

Museum assistant vs art conservator overview

Museum AssistantArt Conservator
Yearly salary$40,072$60,547
Hourly rate$19.27$29.11
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs5222,737
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Museum assistant vs art conservator salary

Museum assistants and art conservators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Museum AssistantArt Conservator
Average salary$40,072$60,547
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $67,000Between $29,000 And $125,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between museum assistant and art conservator education

There are a few differences between a museum assistant and an art conservator in terms of educational background:

Museum AssistantArt Conservator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common majorFine ArtsFine Arts
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Museum assistant vs art conservator demographics

Here are the differences between museum assistants' and art conservators' demographics:

Museum AssistantArt Conservator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 34.5% Female, 65.5%Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 3.5% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between museum assistant and art conservator duties and responsibilities

Museum assistant example responsibilities.

  • Aid development and implementation of NPS cataloging standards.
  • Participate in re-cataloging projects involving artifact research, condition assessment, and storage planning.
  • Assist in training fellow employees in NPS museum cataloging methodology.
  • Conduct back-room tours in the department of anthropology for invite visitors.
  • Maintain archival museum and fossil preparation records and treatment folders, transferring information to NPS archives catalog system.
  • Research and document descriptions about each artifact.
  • Show more

Art conservator 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.

Museum assistant vs art conservator skills

Common museum assistant skills
  • Museum Exhibits, 17%
  • Front Desk, 8%
  • Museum Visitors, 8%
  • Museum Events, 6%
  • Educational Programs, 6%
  • Press Releases, 4%
Common art conservator skills
  • Conservation Practices, 100%

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