How to Get a Job in a Museum Or Art Gallery - By Alison Baverstock Page 0,12
used to being a chameleon, so he learned to use the language too. He had little real involvement in all the practicalities of the exhibition – the health and safety and other bureaucratic procedures required – but was in the happy position of being able to leave this sort of thing to the full-time gallery staff.
He would have loved to write the accompanying book, but time and resources did not permit – and a very good author was found instead (Julia Eccleshare2).
What came out of it long term?
As an exhibition it was widely visited (it toured after its London manifestation), brought pleasure and recognition to the writers included and spread both an increased awareness of the pleasure of reading and the impact Britain has had internationally through our exceptionally good writing for children. Gyles remains proud of this.
From a personal point of view, it was an interesting project to be involved with – and Gyles likes to do interesting things (it was he who pointed out that the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square should have something on it and helped promote national momentum for it to be used).
His challenge to those wanting to work in this world is that they should remain committed to putting on exhibitions to satisfy and extend the passions and curiosities of those who visit, rather than those who are part of the administration; that exposure to large spaces, high ceilings and wooden floors should never stop them seeing that museums and galleries are there to be enjoyed. And they should strive to see that the spirit of the places that people tend to appreciate most – notably the shop and cafe – should percolate the rest of the organisation.
And for the rest of us, he feels that we all ought to care what goes into our museums and galleries and how we are representing ourselves to the world. We have a choice: either to absorb the pervading atmosphere of hush, and accept it as part of the status quo – or encourage a wider sense of ownership; marvelling at all that is contained within their walls. What is on display (and in the vaults) is just as much ours as those who have the privilege of sitting with it all day.
Ultimately, Brandreth is in favour of multi-tasking. Most of us can drive and it’s apparently possible for most of us to fly an aeroplane, so more brains contributing to a general pool of ideas in discussion, more people talking about their passions and with the determination to see things through will in the long run lead to a wider and more stimulating appreciation of culture and heritage for us all.
Part 2:
Employment
options
Chapter 3
Current options for employment
Working in a museum or gallery may be appealing and if this is your aim then a number of locations you might like to work in probably quickly springs to mind. However, it’s important to spend some time thinking about the different sorts of organisations available and being clear about their history, constitution, current role and future plans.
The first thing to understand is that there are so many different types of institutions – from individual artists’ studios, commercial galleries and dealerships, to small regional institutions, big national collections and charitable foundations. Moving from one type of institution to another is possible – but in the process you will have to explain and cross-sell your experience. So, before you start, it’s a good idea to think carefully about where you want to end up; not necessarily what department you’d like to be head of (although there are always people with big long-term ambitions) but in what kind of organisation you see yourself thriving in the future.
This may not seem an obvious thing to think about right now. It’s commonplace for journalists, in the early stages of their career, to work for a regional paper or TV station before moving on to one of the nationals, but in the museum world it’s more likely that if you want to end up in one of the big nationals, you will start out there too, albeit in a lowly role. The same goes for a career in local museums, which in the long term can lead to a job in one of the bigger provincials; where you could eventually become the voice of a specialist subject area or particular community or region and enjoy an associated elevated position in the local community (what was once ‘bank manager status’).