Student Andrews' flaming of Elizabeth Stith misses the point.  Agitation and
activism won't change the reality that far too many museums can afford to
pay just one or two staff members, and pay them relatively little.

They have landmark buildings to protect, restore, and preserve, valuable
furnishings, art, and other fragile collections to protect against the
climate and damage.  They must pay huge sums to carry on this work.   And
because their boards consist of human volunteers who care, they do their
best to have as attractive working conditions as they can afford.

And it's not simply a matter of these boards "raising more money."  So many
cities have a variety of cultural organizations competing for the same pool
of philanthropy.  In the rural areas, it is a stretch to find that many
donors at an annual $1000-plus level.

The present generation of wealthy aging men and women, who in many cases
have been generous as a matter of good citizenship, is passing.  Their
middle-age heirs show relatively less interest in that kind of good
citizenship.   To afford eventual retirement, independent professionals need
to establish a net worth of at least $1 million before considering giving
their income away.   Museums, arts groups, "mainstream" churches, and the
other traditional non-profits, suffer accordingly.

Leah, there are wonderful museums in upstate New York, and they need staff
who are educated, creative, committed, and willing to go well beyond a
40-hr. week when necessary.  As museums are one way we encourage life-long
learning in our society, a commitment to further education seems only
appropriate by one entering the museum field.  Development of intellectual
and analytical skills will be valuable in whatever field you pursue.


-----Original Message-----
From: Leah Walczak <[log in to unmask]>


>As someone who is at the very beginning of pursuing a career in museums,
I'm getting very discouraged by all this talk of low pay, no respect, and
limited job opportunities. What I want to know is, is it worth it?  Is it
worth it to sink myself deeper into debt with more loans for grad schools,
only to end up waiting tables until I find some low-paying internship, and
then maybe someday land a lucrative $25,000/year job?  I'd really like to
hear from voices of experience.
Thanks!