Dear Lisa,
I think all of us would love some insight!
I would be very cautious about pursuing an addition degree at this time
UNLESS it is something you really want to do for yourself. If you want
extra credentialing, look into computer certification programs, especially
ones that focus on website design and management, or maybe into an education
specialty that aligns well with the visual arts, like reading.
It is unquestionably easy to credential yourself out of the running. I
suspect I did that to myself. Your concern about your adjunct teaching may
also be correct, but I encourage you to keep it up, if you have the time and
if it doesn't drive your insane. (Done quite a bit of adjunct art history
myself.)
Check your resume for trouble: lack of clarity, typos, whatever. It never
hurts to have a pro look it over and help you make the most of yourself on
paper.
Mostly, just keep trying. Use the websites so often recommended on this
list. Subscribe to AVISO (American Association of Museums) and attend the
annual conference (yes, I agree, it's sooooo expensive...) so you can
network.
Be prepared to move somewhere you would normally not have considered. The
conventional wisdom says that careers are made in the Midwest, but mostly
they are made in small organizations which will place more diverse demands
on you.
Don't be afraid to apply for any museum job that comes up, including shop
positions, collections care, or concentrate on BIG museums with lots of
small educator jobs (school programs, docent training, and so on).
Make sure the people who provide your recommendations will highlight your
skills, brilliance, amiability, and so on. Prospective employers really
like details.
I guess just keep at it. I am appalled, truly disgusted, but the lack of
professionalism with which most museums treat the applications process.
Applications are rarely acknowledged. (How much trouble is it to preprint
postcards that say, "we got your resume and if you don't hear from us by
such-and-such a date, you know you aren't in the running.") I have had
museums contact as much as 18 months after I sent in an application,
expecting somehow that I am sitting by the phone waiting for their call.
And remember that many museums don't have a good sense of what to look for
in an educator (professionally or personally) and therefore tend to make bad
choices. Those jobs have a way of showing up in the listings every year or
18 months.
Isn't it WONDERFUL that this is what you want to do! It's a particularly
difficult line in a generally tough field. I once had a friend, a very
prominent art historian, scold me because I was "too good" for education and
should be in curatorial work. think of Twain: "Those who can, do; those
who can't, teach." Getting respect and attention from the administration
and board can be difficult and frustrating. But there are great rewards.
If you can get hold of a copy, the 1985 Getty report on museum
education/educators, "An Uncertain Profession" speaks truths that have
unfortunately not changed much.
Best of luck to you.
Ellen B. Cutler
LNB Associates: writing, editing, proofreading, research services
731 Clayton Street
Aberdeen, MD 21001
----- Original Message -----
From: Lisa Troy <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 11:02 AM
Subject: Museum Education?
> Dear List Members,
>
> For the past two years I have been trying to land a job in a museum
> education department. I completed my MA in Art History in 1999 and
> currently work as an art cataloger in a university slide collection. My
> question, for any and all interested, is how do I break into the field?
> Because I work full-time I cannot intern at a local museum, although in
the
> past I have interned at museums and galleries. To keep my educational
> experience growing I work as an adjunct professor at a local community
> college in the evenings. I thought this experience would help my quest,
but
> it seems to have done the opposite! I apply for entry-level work as an
> educator and my resumes receive no replies. I apply for mid-level work to
> the same end. Does anyone have any insight? Do I need another degree?
How
> do I gain the experience required? Thanks in advance. Please reply to me
> off list.
>
> Sincerely,
> LT
>
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