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Date: | Wed, 4 Jan 1995 17:00:54 EST |
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Jane:
Yes, I apologize for the flippancy of my remarks. Bad habit.
But, in truth, I'm really not sure what sort of education
program prepares one best for a career in museums. This is
not only my uncertainty. As I survey my successful
colleagues over the years, I genuinely can not find a common
thread in terms of their academic preparation. Its all over
the map, from doctorates in literature to music degrees to
degrees in horticulture, well, you get the picture.
So, when a student asks this question, I am somewhat
non-plussed. My MBA degree in arts administration from
SUNY-Binghamton taught all of the standard MBA stuff, with
additional coursework specific to the administration of arts
organizations (legal issues, funding issues, budgeting and
government relations issues).
I think that it behooves the requesting students to say what
aspect of museum work they want to start in. Do they want to
be curators? educators? administrators? fundraisers?
finance people? The preparation for each of these may be
dramatically different. Perhaps that's the problem I have
with these questions when they come up. If the requester is
generally interested in a career in museums, then a general
degree (and a general response) seems best suited. The more
specific their interests, the more targeted the educational
goals would be.
Eric Siegel
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