Exhibition curator to conservator
An exhibition curator already meets 52% of what the conservator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.3/ 100
1 How much of what a conservator is expected to do is already part of an exhibition curator’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 conservator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A conservator role treats 8 of its required skills as things an exhibition curator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply strategic thinking
- coordinate operational activities
- cope with challenging demands
- create solutions to problems
- ensure safety of exhibition
- meet deadlines
What stands in the way is 7 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A conservator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an exhibition curator background worth leading with.
- already held ensure safety of exhibition assisting and caring
- already held provide project information on exhibitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cope with challenging demands communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks working with computers
- already held art collections arts and humanities
- already held evaluate art quality information skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 8 the conservator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 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 examine conservation issues required
- still to learn assess conservation needs required
- still to learn assess museum object condition required
- still to learn structure information required
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- still to learn create collection conservation plan required
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage required
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- still to learn provide conservation advice required
- optional, not held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held history optional
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a conservator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 examine conservation issues practise this
- 02 assess conservation needs practise this
- 03 assess museum object condition 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 17 skills that carry over
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held coordinate operational activities skill
- already held cope with challenging demands skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held ensure safety of exhibition skill
- already held meet deadlines skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
- already held art collections knowledge
- already held art history knowledge
- already held art-historical values knowledge
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held evaluate art quality skill
- already held interact with an audience skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held present reports skill
- already held provide project information on exhibitions skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition optional
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
21 held skills the conservator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertise an art collection skill
- not needed by the target role advise on cultural exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
- not needed by the target role archaeology knowledge
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role consult exhibition organisers skill
- not needed by the target role create new concepts skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate cultural venue visitor needs skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role inheritance council practices knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role natural history knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise an exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role plan resource allocation skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role support public access to exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role work in an organised manner skill
- not needed by the target role work independently on exhibitions skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
Other moves recorded from exhibition curator
Common questions about this move
Can an exhibition curator become a conservator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An exhibition curator already covers 52% of what a conservator is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 8 of which the conservator role treats as required.
What skills does an exhibition curator need to become a conservator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is examine conservation issues.
How hard is the move from exhibition curator to conservator?
Its learning distance is 51.3 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.