Well, I enjoy what I do.  I've enjoyed a series of jobs in
the museum, and have evolved, as Erik notes, from one to
another, over two decades.  I'm also tired of the grousing -
unless you've got a positive suggestion (or two) which we
can all work on to make it better, drop it, already.


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C. L. Dill, Museum Director
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard
Bismarck  ND  58505-0830
P: (701)328-2666
F: (701)328-3710
E:  [log in to unmask]
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     IN RESPONSE TO:
   --------------------

   Date:    Thu, 5 Sep 1996 09:42:35 EST From:    [log in to unmask]
   Subject: Re[2]: Museum work is great (or not)

   This Stephen Weil passage brings out the contrarian in
   me...

   Besides being mushy on a scale right up there with Mark
   Helprin's
   speech for Dole; it not only doesn't reflect my 15 years
of
   experience in the museum biz, it also is full of the
"ain't we grand
   and morally superior" tone that affects me like eating a
package of
   nutra-sweet(tm).

   If anything, museums' general low rate of pay adds an
edge of
   embitterment to the employees.  Only a few employees in
any given
   museum are really "doing what they want to do," many of
the
   professional staff are in some evolving state of their
professional
   life, and are aiming higher.  So the associate curator of
decorative
   arts may be doing this because s/he loves it, but s/he
sure would
   like: a) to be better paid; b) to chief curator (or
both).  And this
   does not even address the support staff, ranging from
frustrated
   artists working as fundraisers, to non-union (for the
most part)
   security and clerical staff.

   I've only worked in the for-profit world in menial
temporary
   summer-type jobs, and have always made the non-profit
world my
   professional focus.  So, my basis for comparison is slim,
but I could
   not generalize that people in the non-profit world are
less embittered
   than those in the business world.  Many in the latter get
real kicks
   from their work.  And if, in our eyes, their purpose is
not so
   admirable as ours, that is certainly our own business.  I
suspect that
   if I were in the for-profit world, my reaction to
Stephen's statement
   would be: "well, that holier-than-thou so and so, I go to
museums, and
   listen to music, and raise a family, and participate in
my community,
   and if he thinks that the museum world is such a noble
and superior
   calling, he's welcome to it." (or words to that effect)

   I think its easy for us relatively poorer folks to feel
morally
   superior to relatively richer folks.  Again, that's fine
(I indulge in
   it too), but I don't think that it makes for a compelling
rationale
   for lousy pay and poor working conditions.

   Eric Siegel
   [log in to unmask]

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