Museums Today - Career Opportunities with Museums, Departments
Museums today are
big business across the globe. In sharp contrast to the dull stereotypical
conception of museums being places housing either ancient artifacts
or contemporary art, 21st century museums cover every topic one
can fathom! Though museums are
not for profit, they certainly have a great impact on our lives
and provide excellent learning opportunities for children.
Just a few weeks back,
I took my daughter to the Children's Museum of Manhattan.
I was amazed at the crowds the museum drew and how much my daughter
enjoyed the experience. The special exhibition featuring Dora
the Explorer was totally interactive for kids to have a “hands
on” experience and the exhibits were educational and informative
besides being great fun for the kids.
Museums
in India
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In India, history
and science museums predominate. The National Museum, New
Delhi has one of the most comprehensive collections on
the Indus Valley Civilization along with amazing collections
on arms and armour, ancient coins, as well as textiles, wood
carving and ancient manuscripts. In an effort to broaden the
scope of museums in India, new museums have emerged specializing
in stamps (Philatelic Museum) or focusing on everyday
common man’s art using terracotta and textiles (Sanskriti
Museum).
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Museums around the World
Museums around the
world especially in Europe and US, draw millions of people daily
and are tourist hot spots. Museums in America cover a wide range
of topics such as Modern Art, Ancient History, Children’s Museums,
Wax museum, Natural History and even a Museum of Television and
Radio.
Career
Choices with Museums
It is possible to
pursue a serious career in the museum world. Most museums have the
following departments:
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Curatorial - This department is essentially responsible
for conducting all research in order to set up exhibitions
at the museum. The Curator and his team are responsible for
designing and setting up the exhibitions and also coming up
with all the literature within the gallery.
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Membership – Members of a museum receive unlimited
access and other benefits for the museum. The membership department
handles all member queries and membership processing and soliciting
members for additional donations.
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Development – This department focuses on raising
money for the museum’s expansion as well as upkeep through
fundraising.
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Special Events – The Special Events staff is responsible
for holding small member events as well as large scale fundraising
events for top donors.
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Publications – This department handles all museum publications
and catalogues for all exhibitions
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Marketing - The marketing department analyses museum
trends and comes up with ways to best market the museum to draw
more crowds
People from diverse backgrounds and literally no related experience
often end up working at museums purely out of interest.
For those of you
who would like to pursue a career in museums, it is best to
take up special courses in art or museum studies. It is also helpful
to take on internships at a museum or art gallery as it counts as
work experience and can serve as a valuable learning experience
for you.
Contributing Writer
: Budding Writer, team at contentwriter.in
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