Artistic director to exhibition curator
An artistic director already meets 39% of what the exhibition curator role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.7/ 100
1 How much of what an exhibition curator is expected to do is already part of an artistic director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the exhibition curator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An exhibition curator role treats 13 of its required skills as things an artistic director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertise an art collection
- apply strategic thinking
- art history
- art-historical values
- cope with challenging demands
- cultural projects
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An exhibition curator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an artistic director background worth leading with.
- already held advertise an art collection communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise an exhibition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide project information on exhibitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cope with challenging demands communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held museum databases social sciences, journalism and information
- already held art-historical values arts and humanities
All 13 carried skills, including the 13 the exhibition curator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn consult exhibition organisers required
- still to learn coach employees required
- still to learn create new concepts required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn interact with an audience required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn present reports required
- still to learn train employees required
- optional, not held advise on cultural exhibitions optional
- optional, not held support public access to exhibitions optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- still to learn work independently on exhibitions required
- still to learn coordinate operational activities required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn work in an organised manner required
- optional, not held evaluate cultural venue visitor needs optional
- still to learn inheritance council practices required
- still to learn art collections required
- optional, not held natural history optional
- optional, not held archaeology optional
- still to learn use ICT resources to solve work related tasks required
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- still to learn ensure safety of exhibition required
- still to learn evaluate art quality required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an exhibition curator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inheritance council practices study this
- 02 art collections study this
- 03 consult exhibition organisers practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held advertise an art collection skill
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held art history knowledge
- already held art-historical values knowledge
- already held cope with challenging demands skill
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held organise an exhibition skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held plan resource allocation skill
- already held present exhibition skill
- already held provide project information on exhibitions skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held anthropology optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on cultural exhibitions optional
- optional, not held natural history optional
- optional, not held support public access to exhibitions optional
- optional, not held anthropology optional
- optional, not held archaeology optional
- optional, not held evaluate cultural venue visitor needs optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
36 held skills the exhibition curator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role approve reports for artistic project skill
- not needed by the target role contribute to the programmer's reflection process skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role define artistic approach skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role describe artistic experience skill
- not needed by the target role determine context to present the work skill
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop drama production process skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role direct an artistic team skill
- not needed by the target role establish daily priorities skill
- not needed by the target role find a replacement for stage manager skill
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role help the programmer define an artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role identify artistic niche skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with cultural partners skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role monitor artistic activities skill
- not needed by the target role organise cultural events skill
- not needed by the target role participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role promote cultural venue events skill
- not needed by the target role promote inclusion skill
- not needed by the target role represent artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role represent company in exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role supervise daily information operations skill
- not needed by the target role use intuition in booking projects skill
- not needed by the target role work with cultural venue specialists skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn inheritance council practices required
- still to learn art collections required
- optional, not held natural history optional
- optional, not held anthropology optional
- optional, not held archaeology optional
Common questions about this move
Can an artistic director become an exhibition curator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An artistic director already covers 39% of what an exhibition curator is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 13 of which the exhibition curator role treats as required.
What skills does an artistic director need to become an exhibition curator?
18 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is inheritance council practices.
How hard is the move from artistic director to exhibition curator?
Its learning distance is 67.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.