Folks,

I am having a real hard time with this whining.It sounds as though some of
you were conscripted into grad school and/or the museum field. Did a
recruiter come to you and promise you a job at MOMA, or what?

Take responsibility for the decisions you made. You are not the only
people who worked for years to earn a degree that may never actually get
you a job. And as for paying off your debts . . . again, take
responsibility. It took
me 15 years to earn my degrees - a BA in Creative Arts, a MFA in Sculpture
(now there are some degrees with little promise of employability!) because
I worked in a grocery store so I could pay for school.

Competition in the museum field is stiff and the work itself is hard. If
you don't have what it takes to stick with it get out early.
There are lots of other creative fields which pay better.

As for'deserving to be paid' you haven't got a clue. For the last 3 years I have
not paid to myself the IRA contribution I am entitled to as director of my
organization. I have used the money instead to keep the program going,
paying for things such as telephone bills, office supplies and
insurance. So while you are complaining about the museum world victimizing
you, I am busy trying to earn enough money to pay the rent on our offices.
And this, friends, is what working in the museum field is really about -
keeping the doors open so we can share the cultural wealth of our
respective organizations with as many people as possible.



Dena E. Brown, Director
Visual Arts Resources
A Touring Exhibition Program
Eugene, Oregon