Aron,

The following advice is based entirely on what I like to see in job
applicants, as well as my personal experience. Some will disagree.

Although all experience is useful in museum work, since you never know what
you will be asked to do, it is very easy to pidgeon-hole yourself.
Floundering around and randomly accumulating "experience" will not serve
you well in the long run, especially if you already know what you would
like to be doing in the field.

Run with the area of the field you actually prefer, and work to get your
foot in the door at an institution for which you really want to work. If
they know your desires, but can only start you in collections for example,
then at least both you and your employer know the real score. Most will
work to make sure you get some of the experience you really desire.

Conversely, I would hesitate to suggest that you pass up a good position
just because it does not fit your long term career goals. You will have to
make the professional judgement call of whether a
position/intership/experience opportunity is right for you. Often working
outside the field until the right opportunity presents itself can give a
young professional depth and experience that can be very useful in their
eventual museum career.

I would consider a young professional with clear goals and direction a
superior choice to one with more experience but no focus.

Good luck.

Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850



             Aron Mohr
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             SE.LSOFT.COM>                                         Subject
                                       General Career Query

             08/25/2004 02:29
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I am a recent graduate from a Museum Studies Program
and am now starting to see what's available in the
field. I am interested in curatorial work and
exhibition development as well as administration and
would like to work with art collections.

My question is as follows: when striking out in the
world of museums, is it more important to get
experience in the type of work you are interested in
(ex. curating) or to get your foot in the door in
institutions that focus on your area of interest (ex.
19th and 20th art) regardless of job description?

I get the impression that the first few positions you
obtain, paid or unpaid, establish the framework for
your future endeavors and am eager to avoid veering
off on a tangent early on.

Any advice on this subject would be greatly
appreciated.
Thank you.
Aron.



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