How To Get A Job In A Museum Or Art Gallery Part 1

How to Get a Job in a Museum or Art Gallery.

by Alison Baverstock.

Foreword

Museums and galleries are a microcosm of the world: places of pleasure and learning. And working in them is an exciting way to be involved with the big questions of where we have come from and who we are. What used to be slow-paced and sometimes backward-looking organisations have, by and large, become lively and audience-centred, concerned with how issues of current public interest can be understood through collections of art and objects and also be engaging. The key element of a good museum is making someone's visit wonderful and memorable.

One of the many changes over the past 20 years has been a new focus on training and professional development. Museum directors and managers have realised that however much energy is devoted to collecting and understanding objects, the people who work in the inst.i.tutions matter just as much. The many skills of the staff are needed so that objects and works of art can be carefully conserved, beautifully presented, properly recorded, researched and understood and then communicated to a broader public. The range of museum skills has now been extended to include fields such as digital programming, educational outreach work, specialist marketing and fundraising.

Those working in museums, both small and large, will therefore have a mix of talents and experience, and increasingly come from diverse backgrounds and educational routes. What they will probably share is an inquisitive nature combined with considerable creativity, self-reflection and a pa.s.sion for teamwork. Objects matter, but enjoying the processes of learning from other people is crucially important.

If you think you might be interested in working in a museum or gallery, go and visit one, examine it critically, and consider whether this is a place to which you would like to contribute. I hope that reading this book will help you on your way.

Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery.

October 2009.

Part I:

The world of museums and galleries

Chapter 1

Why work in a museum or art gallery?

Working in a museum or gallery is an appealing career prospect for many; it often attracts those who visited them during their childhood, found them places of solace in their teenage years or rather liked the look of what Ross in Friends Friends did for a living. Visits as part of a university course may strengthen that desire and students of history or history of art may find themselves particularly drawn to such a career (although experts are needed in many fields of speciality, as broad as a museum's range of content, from palaeontology to machine tools). did for a living. Visits as part of a university course may strengthen that desire and students of history or history of art may find themselves particularly drawn to such a career (although experts are needed in many fields of speciality, as broad as a museum's range of content, from palaeontology to machine tools).

But while it's easy to dream of working in such an inst.i.tution, the practical details of what's involved are less easily come by. This book provides guidance on how to discover if the world of museums and galleries is really for you, and how to find a job if you decide this is indeed your chosen path.

A word of warning before we start. Entry is highly compet.i.tive and there are many more people seeking jobs than there are positions available. But then if you don't try, you stand no chance at all.

What working in a museum or gallery is really like 'I did work experience in The Courtauld Gallery during the summer before my final year at university, and found the real privilege was in seeing the pictures in different lights each day from the harsh light of the early morning to the balmier light of the afternoons. I really felt I got to know the pictures and this was hugely satisfying.'

ALISON BAVERSTOCK If you cherish the notion that working in an art gallery or museum is a peaceful escape from the hurly-burly of modern life, or that it offers a haven away from more commercial choices, then think again. These days, galleries and museums not only have to compete for funds but also raise a substantial portion of their own revenue. Loving the items under your care is not enough, and your employers will want more from you than simply the knowledge that you are enjoying your surroundings.

What's so satisfying about working in this world?

1. Close proximity to things of significance Close proximity to things of significance Working in a museum or gallery offers you the chance to get close to items that have witnessed, or played a part in history, over both the long and short term.

People who work in galleries and museums feel that what they do matters; that they are looking after the cultural capital of the world and preserving it for future generations, and that by explaining the significance of items to a wider audience they are enhancing life.

'Many of the skills needed by those working in museums and galleries are needed in other working environments too, such as website development, accurate record keeping and an appreciation of wider access. What museums give you is the added interest of applying these skills to something that matters, and the opportunity to engage other people in an area that is so fascinating and one perhaps they had not thought about before.

'I would say that the one thing that unites all who work in this world is a respect for the original object; the frisson gained from holding the actual item that has played a part in history. And this is true whether the object is frequently found and of little or no commercial value or a unique and highly valuable specific item, with a charted pedigree; it is the connection to the past that matters. For example, it can be just as fascinating to look at an early example of the sticks used in the millennia-old method of creating fire by rubbing one stick in the hollowed-out centre of another, as a single example of a particular item with a particularly well-doc.u.mented provenance. When cataloguing the horology collection in the British Museum, I was inspecting the working mechanism of a particular timepiece and was told by the curator that it once belonged to Oliver Cromwell. Those who want to work in museums need to be the kind of people who are excited by this; the tenable connection to the past that they then want to communicate and share with others.'

MALCOLM CHAPMAN, HEAD OF COLLECTIONS, MANCHESTER MUSEUM Similarly, selling items of historical pedigree or works of art can be a commercial venture, but those handling the sale must feel that what they are offering has a long-term validity and will reflect well on their role as seller in the future. Commercial galleries and specialist retailers want to build long-term relations.h.i.+ps with their customers, who view their purchases as ongoing sources of pleasure and investment.

2. The satisfaction of putting on a show The satisfaction of putting on a show Most galleries and museums have a permanent collection on display and a series of special shows that highlight particular aspects of what they hold (some of which may be from a collection that is not always on view); they may also put on special stagings to celebrate specific anniversaries and national and local events. Many will also receive and house the temporary installation of a touring exhibition as part of a national or international schedule a bit like theatrical repertory although in the case of museums and galleries, the collection usually tours the provinces after after its main exhibition in a city rather than the other way round. Smaller organisations may have no permanent collection but a rather a series of temporary exhibitions. its main exhibition in a city rather than the other way round. Smaller organisations may have no permanent collection but a rather a series of temporary exhibitions.

There is a lot of creative freedom within museums and galleries in deciding what to feature: 'This is a non-prescriptive world in which the contribution of the individual is key the opposite of corporate slavery! There is the opportunity to think for yourself, act laterally, be resourceful and make a personal difference, with all the satisfaction that entails.'

JO PROSSER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, V&A ENTERPRISES People who work in museums and galleries are likely to enjoy the coming together of an event; the teamwork involved in ensuring the show is ready for opening on the date announced, with the final stages in preparation catalogue, posters, publicity, local and national PR and related merchandise in the shop and all the while aware of what might be coming next. This aspect of the work, which can be compared with that of theatre managers leading up to a production or restaurants preparing for their opening, is important because, whether the funding is public or private, the inst.i.tution will usually be having to justify its budget. Engaging visitors' interest in the fascination of what is on offer as well as conveying a sufficient sense of urgency so they feel motivated to come along to see it while it's available, is very much part of this mission.

If you can relate to this sense of putting on a show, drawing your colleagues into the demonstration of something that's fascinating and that you can all be proud of, then this world may be for you.

3. Educating the public Educating the public Museums and galleries share information and often provide understanding to people who have no previous knowledge of a specific subject or area. There is much discussion about how groups who are not used to visiting such inst.i.tutions can be made to feel more welcome, and being part of this can be very satisfying.

'One afternoon, when we were quiet, someone asked me why in pictures of the Nativity the Madonna's cloak is always blue. I explained about symbolism and went on to talk about the other elements that are often there lilies, crosses of straw on the ground, and how the figures in the picture look at each other or are positioned. It was all stuff from my first year art history lectures, but it was new to him, and I felt really good about pa.s.sing it on.'

ALISON BAVERSTOCK If you don't like sharing observations and feel that the world of selective treasures, in any area of interest, is your private pa.s.sion rather than one you want to talk about or share more widely, then this world may not be for you.

4. Connectedness Connectedness Museums and galleries are connected internationally and share their findings. Most special shows depend on the loan of key items from one inst.i.tution to another, with long-term reciprocity. It's not uncommon for junior members of gallery staff to accompany items on their pa.s.sage to temporary locations, and to get correspondence or emails from colleagues asking for help on specific queries.

This connectedness has become greater with online access scholars, and people who are just interested, worldwide can obtain information on a particular gallery or a museum's collection and download images before setting off on their travels.

'One of the best things about this world is its connectedness or rather, the culture of reciprocity which exists amongst museums and museum staff. We live in a permanent state of insecurity funding may be cut, staff may be lost or not replaced, and at worst, we may be axed all together but I feel connected to and supported by colleagues who are often geographically distant.'

PETA COOK, CURATOR, KINGSTON MUSEUM 5. A very varied workload A very varied workload Some people prefer a sedentary job where the scope of their endeavours is predictable and under their control. Very large museums and galleries may have a formal departmental structure, but in the early stages of a career, and later on too if you work in a local museum or gallery, life can be anything but predictable.

In addition to looking after the collection you might find yourself answering queries from the public, dealing with the press, working with insurers and those responsible for security, organising plumbers and electricians, writing copy for marketing materials and installing exhibitions. The workload is varied and stimulating but if this sounds like an over-diversification of your talents, then think carefully before seeking a career in this field. Museums and galleries need staff who are happy to multi-task and not too grand to attend to the most basic of functions.

6. The chance to meet interesting people The chance to meet interesting people Working in a museum or gallery offers you the chance to rub shoulders with, or just observe, a range of interesting people, from international scholars who travel the world to comment on new finds and possible acquisitions, to members of the public who bring items into their local museum for possible identification. If you work in a commercial gallery, meeting an artist whose work you admire can be a fascinating (and sometimes disappointing) experience; many artists communicate through their work and sometimes aren't comfortable or even able to talk about why they developed a piece in the way they did or communicate with the general public (particularly those who do not see a value in what they do).

7. Working in a pleasant place Working in a pleasant place Even if you work in the bowels of a national building, you probably still have the chance to walk in and out of its famous portals. Or perhaps using the staff entrance at the side of the building, in the hour before it's open to the general public, gives you a thrill. Many museums were built long before modern regulations about ease of access and bathroom facilities were introduced, and programmes of refurbishment and restoration are slow and expensive, but the sight of the building when it is closed along with the thought that 'I work there', can give you a real sense of pleasure.

8. A job that other people find fascinating A job that other people find fascinating Mention at a party that you are a dentist or an accountant and people tend to look away. Mention that you work in a museum or gallery and their reaction is likely to be quite different. People may not be interested in your actual job status but simply have an image of you ambling round the gallery having fine thoughts in the presence of masterpieces. It's a job with a high level of kudos.

'I was responsible for the day-to-day running of the books section in the huge Level 1 shop at Tate Modern. The fundamentals of bookselling are the same in any venue. What was different was how other people responded when I said I worked there. Tate Modern was recently identified as one of the 10 coolest brands in the UK, and friends with teenagers would tell me it was the one cultural venue they would willingly enter. I must admit I enjoyed the a.s.sociated cachet.'

JANE CHOLMELEY Why not not to work in a museum or gallery to work in a museum or gallery It's a good idea too to think about the frustrations of working in a gallery or museum. If any of the following strike a chord with you, you may find this a less than satisfactory choice of career.

1. Reciprocity may not appeal Reciprocity may not appeal At university, did you enjoy group work? Or did you find it aggravating to hear your ideas developed and even purloined by others? At school, were you able to work with a group of people you did not particularly like, in order to achieve a pre-determined goal, or did you prefer just to get on with it and do it on your own?

Working in a gallery or museum requires collaboration and teamwork. Frankly, if you do not enjoy this, or find yourself anxious to hang on to your specific contribution and have it fully acknowledged as such, then think carefully about choosing a such a career.

2. Is it your role in life to educate others? Is it your role in life to educate others?

'During a work experience placement our whole company, which only consisted of 15 people, was taken out to lunch in a local Italian restaurant. I was asked to go too. When we arrived there was a lot of giggling about a wall painting, and how you could see "all the man's bits". When I went over to have a look at what they were talking about, it turned out that the image was the world famous image from the Sistine ceiling, of G.o.d touching Adam.'

PUBLISHER The sheer scale of the public's lack of awareness can be daunting their lack of knowledge about things you think you have always known (although you must have acquired the information at some stage too). Being honest, if this makes you wonder at their level of ignorance rather than feel motivated to try and make the case for their involvement, or at least tolerate what they are deriding, then think carefully about a career in museums and galleries. You will be confronted by ignorance all the time, and rather than trumping them with your knowledge and seeing their impressed reaction, it's far more likely that you will be met with a bemused stare and confusion about why on earth you care.

This can become a particularly sensitive issue when you discover this lack of knowledge is located in those you cannot ignore. Working in a gallery or museum will require you to deal with bureaucrats who don't don't esteem what you do, but who esteem what you do, but who do do control access to funding. You need to make links with them, patiently explore areas of common ground (perhaps your desire to put on an exhibition, theirs to see the local borough featured as a place of innovation and prestige) and tactfully maintain the relations.h.i.+p. You will need to become an effective communicator to defend the value of your work, making a bridge between it and those who think it is a complete waste of money, time and effort. control access to funding. You need to make links with them, patiently explore areas of common ground (perhaps your desire to put on an exhibition, theirs to see the local borough featured as a place of innovation and prestige) and tactfully maintain the relations.h.i.+p. You will need to become an effective communicator to defend the value of your work, making a bridge between it and those who think it is a complete waste of money, time and effort.

If you have never been exposed to this, here are two short exercises for you to experiment with: try explaining the value of modern art to a sceptical relative using the example of the most recent winner of the Turner Prize is usually sufficient challenge; justify why museum staff should be funded by the public purse when they are so isolated from the real world.

3. Being distracted from your main work Being distracted from your main work On a daily basis you will be interrupted constantly. You will have to juggle lots of priorities, rather than just getting on with the cataloguing you had imagined would be your role for that day. And many of the people who distract you with questions will be dissatisfied with the response you are able to give them members of the public might want to know the value of something they have had in the attic for ages, but have no interest in its date or provenance (and you are not allowed to tell them how much it is worth).

Similarly, if you like high levels of support and/or infrastructure in your working life, or particularly appreciate the comforts of a bene-fits package (free canteen and sports facilities, company car), then this may not be the career for you. You will have to stuff your own envelopes, mend your own PC, create your own labels and manage your own career development.

4. Income levels Income levels The financial remuneration for working in galleries and museums is poor, and anyone who wants to work in this world needs to understand this. Even for a starter job, an essential element on any CV is an interns.h.i.+p or work experience, but in most cases these are unpaid roles, so you will have to seek support or part-time work to fund any volunteer work, and all in the hope of a job in the future. The Museums a.s.sociation will only advertise posts on its website over a certain salary level, but there are other places to advertise and employers know that the advertised salary level tends not to diminish the number of applicants. There are always people who want to work in this world.

'It is dispiriting. It is sad to see our profession, so qualified and specialised, yet so seemingly undervalued. My salary just about allows me to break even but it does not allow me to save, and were life to throw a difficult circ.u.mstance at me and I were to need money in a hurry, this would not be possible out of what I earn. Colleagues on my MA in Museum Studies course who went to work on collections in London are forced to rely on their parents for financial support, and often to go back home to live. And this low salary level is surely the reason that this is a very female-orientated profession it would be very hard to support a family on the proceeds of a job in a museum or gallery.'

a.s.sISTANT CURATOR ON HER FIRST JOB AFTER AN MA IN MUSEUM STUDIES Why the low pay? Firstly because it's evidently a buyer's market there are more people seeking jobs in this sector than positions available. But this understanding also seems to be fuelled by an expectation of low pay. Jobs that have a civilising effect on society working for a publis.h.i.+ng company, a charity or a theatre company, purveying fine wine, and working in a museum or gallery tend to pay badly. There is a close link between measurable profit and commensurate rewards, and the roles described are often hard to quantify in terms of finan-cial success.

Such jobs can be depicted as pleasurable, self-indulgent, isolated from stresses felt by the rest of the population and perhaps elitist, and are therefore not ones that the public tend to rally behind, unlike nursing or certain other public sector work. Comparisons are invidious but interesting. When I started in my first job in publis.h.i.+ng, editors who had excellent honours degrees and several years' experience were earning the same amount as a retail a.s.sistant with just a few O-Levels working in a national chain of department stores: working in a museum or gallery is unlikely to make you rich.

As to what can be done about it, the longer-term issue is how to teach society to value its national museums and collections more. Certainly, whenever a museum is threatened with closure, locals are usually ready to protest at the loss of a resource they say they value, but when closely questioned will often freely admit that they seldom, if ever, visit. They want it there for their children or grandchildren, but do not realise it houses material that would interest them too. Currently, unlike schools, museums and galleries are not an essential service that local authorities have have to provide. There are many more cultural alternatives (sport, theatre, music), and those with more popular appeal may be more highly valued by the general public. There are wider issues too. Does to provide. There are many more cultural alternatives (sport, theatre, music), and those with more popular appeal may be more highly valued by the general public. There are wider issues too. Does not charging not charging for entry to an exhibition have an impact on how the collections are valued do people a.s.sume that something is only worth doing if it has to be paid for? The value structure expressed by the respective costs of entry to a national exhibition and a round of drinks in a pub has not been effectively made. for entry to an exhibition have an impact on how the collections are valued do people a.s.sume that something is only worth doing if it has to be paid for? The value structure expressed by the respective costs of entry to a national exhibition and a round of drinks in a pub has not been effectively made.

In the meantime, rewards from working in a museum or gallery have to be more internally felt: privileged access to a world most people know little about; enhanced status when you tell people where you work; access to the latest thought about artistic, scientific or technological discoveries but none of these pays the bills.

5. The pace at which this world moves The pace at which this world moves It's possible to love galleries and museums but feel frustrated by the pace at which they operate. This world is not fast-moving; rather it is considered and ponderous; consultative and collaborative. Compromise will be needed, after weighing up very different, even contradictory, requirements. If you are the sort of person who just likes to get on and do things, preferably on your own, you may find this frustrating.

The same goes for the style of language used. Traditionally scholarly and academic in origin, it has become suffused with a more modern marketing speak full of 'customer facing' initiatives which promote wider partic.i.p.ation and engagement. If you want your voice to be heard, you will have to appreciate and adopt this language too and if this is going to be a major irritation or a struggle for you, think carefully before going any further.

6. Museums as a lifelong habit rather than a working environment Museums as a lifelong habit rather than a working environment You may decide you want to continue to enjoy museums and galleries as a member of the (sometimes paying) public, rather than being actively involved in the preparation and staging of what you eventually see. Consider the following comment: 'Having always thought I would do English at university I had a last-minute change of heart. I found I was no longer able to read for pleasure, but rather compelled to hunt for significant quotations, deconstruct the plot and a.n.a.lyse rather than simply enjoy. It is not a choice I have ever regretted. I remain a voracious reader but am happy to enjoy all sorts of books as an enthusiastic amateur.'

PUBLISHER Likewise, working in the field of curating may interfere with your enjoyment of exhibitions: 'I do go to exhibitions in my spare time but confess I am distracted by looking at their curatorial mechanisms. I can't seem to concentrate on the object in the box, but rather my attention is drawn to the device indicating the prevailing level of humidity. Working in this world has certainly blocked my enjoyment of objects for their own sake.'

CONSERVATOR Visiting galleries and museums can certainly provide lifelong enrichment, and you may decide that you want to keep it that way rather than be part of the effort, just as you may enjoy food, but opt to be cooked for rather than be hands on in the kitchen yourself. And as a supporter of museums and galleries, there are many valuable roles you can play: as sponsor, visitor, collector and enthusiast. You don't have to be part of the management team to enjoy what they have to offer.

'There is in the British Museum an enormous mind. Consider that Plato is there cheek by jowl with Aristotle; and Shakespeare with Marlowe. This great mind is h.o.a.rded beyond the power of any single mind to possess it.'

VIRGINIA WOOLF, JACOB'S ROOM (1922) JACOB'S ROOM (1922) Whether or not you decide you want to be part of its organisation, the world of museums and galleries still belongs to you.

Chapter 2

Important issues you must be prepared to grapple with

If you are attracted by the idea of a career in museums and galleries, your motivation probably starts with your own feelings and interests how it might feel to work within such an environment; the personal inclinations that drive the idea. Your potential employers, however, will be far more interested in your engagement with the world as a whole.

Securing work experience in a relevant location can help you decide if this type of environment is where you want to belong, but the following delineation of key issues may also be helpful. It's important that you care about these issues, and preferably have an opinion on them or if not yet an opinion, at least an understanding that they matter. And, of course, this is useful preparation for interviews.

1. Poor funding Poor funding

Most museums and galleries work within a constant state of financial instability, not knowing whether or not they will be here next year. Funding them is not a statutory obligation unlike the library or education service and it's up to local funding bodies to decide whether or not the local museum is worth supporting in future. And as a manager within this environment you will have to motivate others through periods of instability and seek the support of those you know not to be entirely sympathetic to your cause but who are nevertheless influential, when all the while you may be feeling far from confident about your own job prospects.

Things to be aware of The name of the current Culture Secretary (and their most up-to-date job t.i.tle); their interests and inclinations as demonstrated by what events and inst.i.tutions they attend, support and mention in official speeches and p.r.o.nouncements.

The latest names for government departments that hold the purse strings.

Government (national and local) spending priorities.

Useful platforms for lobbying and possible partners.h.i.+ps.

Sources of expertise housed within the museum or gallery that might prove useful to others, and draw in related consultancy/ loan fees. For example, period dramas set in certain professional fields may require the expertise of relevant museum staff and the loan of specific objects.

'The arts is a non-statutory service local government doesn't have to fund or support the arts or employ arts officers and, when times are tough, politicians look closely at non-statutory services, so it's important to build a high profile, maintain that profile and always be ready to argue the case for the arts. We do this by lobbying cabinet members with a cultural portfolio, by inviting politicians to open and launch events, by creating steering groups chaired by senior colleagues, by making sure we are included in all key strategy doc.u.ments, by appearing in staff and council magazines, by doing a good job and by making the time to do it.'

JAYNE KNIGHT, ARTS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

2. The fragmented nature of work in museums and galleries The fragmented nature of work in museums and galleries