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 passing 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 passion rather than one you want to talk about or share more widely, then this world may not be for you.
4. Connectedness
Museums and galleries are connected internationally and share their findings. Most special shows depend on the loan of key items from one institution to another, with long-term reciprocity. It’s not uncommon for junior members of gallery staff to accompany items on their passage 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
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
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
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
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