Thanks for the information on the A.A.M. museum studies curricula. I will
ask for a copy to peruse and make available to my students.
The diversity of positions problem you mention is one that I think is
largely irrelevant to museum basics. The field will always be specialized
(as will law, libraries and medicine), but each of those fields does have a
basic, defined curricula. Try becoming a surgeon without getting a basic
M.D. or a corporate lawyer without a basic law degree. It doesn't happen.
 
In the hoary old days a student planned on a career as a curator,
registrar, conservator, museum educator or administrator and specialized in
a discipline such as natural history, art history, anthropology, etc. In
most museum M.A. programs you took core courses in curatorship,
registration, administration, education, conservation and exhibit design
and electives in your chosen field of study.  Allied positions were
recognized, such as business managers, and paraprofessional positions such
as preparators. Persons with Ph.D.s in given disciplines worked as
"curators" in "academic" museums; in" "public" museums they collaborated
with the curatorial staff on shows as "guest curators" or consulting
specialists.
 
In recent years this has changed (and I don't think for the better) with
the addition of many new titles and positions. I, for one, am still trying
to figure out how museums that have "Presidents" (we used to call them
directors; only boards of trustees had "Presidents") and, instead of
divisions heads being called "curators," we now have "Directors of
Education," "Director of Public Relations," etc. What ever happened to
"curator" or "chief curator." I once saw a museum with five directors and
only ONE support position.
 
Much of this seems to be coming from the business world - which may be one
reason some museums are starting to resemble businesses (especially
entertainment attractions) more than educational institutions. Pardon my
soapbox, but if we perhaps returned to the "basics" that were taught in
museum programs in the '70s (the core courses metioned above) it might just
be possible to establish some standards. I think many academic libraries do
this by requiring double masters degrees - an MLS plus a disciplinary M.A.
At least the persons were assured of having a core education. Without this
you see what I have often seen, sights such as very competent school
teachers come into museums, not understand art or material culture, and
flounder by not knowing how to teach with artwork or artifacts.
 
I will look forward, with great interest in your forthcoming book.
 
_________________
Byron A. Johnson
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