*** Resending note of 08/04/95 11:56

Kathleen-I'd love to be able to tell you something positive, but the
bottom line is that museum jobs are hard to come by and museum jobs that
afford you a decent living are even harder.

Sometimes it seems like the only advantage in having my MA in Museum
Studies is that, when I'm job hunting and people are offering
unsolicited advice, at least they never ask "Have you thought of going
to graduate school?"

But these days, the situation at other non-profits are not much
different. Just ask anyone who works for an arts organization,
environmental group, etc. You want to use your talents for things you
believe in--and/or just spent several years of your life incurring debts
to study--but the organizations just don't have the money to pay what
you are worth or need (this excludes the few that have some high level
people on top, raking it in; of the hundreds of non-profits I have
temped or worked for in my life, the difference between the lowest and
highest salary could barely support a new car payment).

Jennifer's idea about an AAM session on this topic is really good (for
those recent grads who can afford to go to AAM...). I propose another
topic, perhaps AAM could form a council to survey museum personnel
offices, to find out what they REALLY want from prospective employees.

For instance: I chose museum studies with a core in classical
archaeology, instead of the MA or PhD in arch., because I thought
(having already tried to make a living as an archaeologist) that having
a fundemental knowledge of the workings of a museum, with some specific
topical knowledge, would make me more marketable. I was led to believe
that the whole idea for museum studies programs was to build a bridge
between scholars and administrators, as the former *supposedly* had no
money/audience savvy, and the latter no interest in the importance of
research and knowledge for its own sake. WE were to cross the bridge!

Now I look at AVISO jobs which want MAs in art history (with a
concentration in...), African-American studies, or a field of science;
or specilization in loan procedures, grant-writing, data-base
maintenance, volunteer coordination...

So does this mean that the all-around-overview program is obsolete?
Was it ever of any use, or is a Master's degree (or lack of one) just a
useful screening tool for potential employees? Would most museums prefer
employees with specialized educations coupled with a few extracurricular
business courses?

Perhaps if museums want more focused museum skills, the museum community
should take some responsibility for their needs, and address the idea of
PAID internships for those with degrees in art history and other desired
fields. Make it a line item in the budget proposal. Write a special
grant.

We need to get real, and not offer pie-in-the-sky "when we get that
endowment" answers to the unpaid interns and volunteers hoping to get
in, or the recent graduates competing for jobs with people who have been
in the field 20 years.


Rachel A. Bernhardt, Editor (on temporary where-will-I-be-in-a-month status)
Office of Exhibits Central
Smithsonian Institution
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