While it it not impossible to live on under $25,000, the question is
whether it does the individual or the profession any good to do so.

As a MAP surveyor and a veteran of 20 years in the field, I have had to
advise numerous boards of trustees who complained about the "quality" and
often the "appearance" of some employees that these factors are often
linked to compensation. On one notable occasion I attended an opening at a
colleague's museum where a trustee (who I later found out was worth well
into seven-figures) complained about the appearance of a preparator at an
opening. After informing the Trustee that this person who handled objects
worth six-figures made under $20,000 a year, the answer I go was classic
"let them eat cake."  The individual actually suggested that a line be
added to the job description requiring them to have a suitable "livery" for
museum functions. Whoa!

A starting point would be for the AAM to establish salary guidelines with
suggested adjustments for cost of living areas. Trade unions (gasp!) do it,
other professional organizations do it, why not the museum profession? This
might eliminate the need for us to constantly peruse the AAMD and SEMC
salary surveys in an attempt to create equity for our staffs and ourselves.

Another step in the right direction would be for AVISO to refuse to accept
ads for positions that do not (1) list a salary range and benefits, and (2)
fall within a reasonable minimum salary level. Colleagues have frequently
told me about applying for a "salary commensurate with experience and
qualifications" job only to discover that a curatorial position paid
$20,000 a year or a directorship paid $25,000. They either found that
asking salary questions up front automatically disqualified them from
further consideration, or that the hiring committee refused to discuss the
matter. Frankly, I do NOT believe such limitation on ads would constitute
either censorship or unduly handicap small museums on limited budgets. Such
a policy would cut down on the number of applications for low-paying
positions and encourage some sort of equity between qualifications and pay.

I cannot agree with the suggestion that, below a certain level, one simply
has to bite the bullet to work in the field. As they used to say, "why buy
the cow when you can get the milk for (nearly) free?" Or, as some museums
have found out, people tend to appreciate the museum more if they have to
pay a reasonable fee to get in.

Byron A. Johnson
Incoming Director
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Waco, TX
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