Subreddit dedicated to people who work in GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) of any topic.
I’ll go first: curator of education, Muncie IN, 56,650
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Looking at the comments so depressing, museum industry should unionise or strike for higher wages
That’s why I started this thread
Want to know what’s even more depressing? Having a look at the top earners at your organization on ProPublica. It’s absolutely gross the wage difference of those at the top for a lot of these non-profits.
Let’s do something about it! I am willing to invest time and resources. But we need investment
I’m in a professional org and we just submitted a union charter for our board to review. We are optimistic, this will work out!!!
Project Archivist $68k, Research Library, Museum &Botanical Garden, SouthernCalif. I also had to get a second job :-(
Seriously! WTF, there is no reason why anyone with a 40hr work week should have to get another job to meet their basic minimum. This whole world is silly
When the wealthy realized the working class was not being paid enough to prevent an uprising, they introduced Credit Card borrowing...
The wealthy lend their $ to the working class through CC and make $ on the high interest... forestalling an uprising...
The US economy shifted from manufacturing to Consumer based and the Wealthy were happy, the working class was falsely pacified...
Now the working class are starting to default on CC debt and the wealthy don't have a solution...
Democrats are increasing the wealth of the working class and the GOP is trying to stop it, stop the working class from voting, bribing government workers to stave off the inevitable working class uprising that would occur if the GOP remains in power....
The GOP is running out of options on how to keep the working class poor and avoid being held accountable for their corruption.
Baby Boomers should tread lightly...
Please don’t tell me that this is at the botanical garden I think it is in SoCal. No matter what the place though, that’s messed up. Such an expensive place to live, and that income doesn’t cut it.
Yeah, I’m originally from the Midwest, so when I took the job I mistakenly thought it was a livable wage. I guess the jokes on me. :-( currently exploring other options.
This is why I dont want to leave the Midwest
This also makes you realize you have to take the relative location into consideration when reading these numbers. The cost of living in S. CA is not the same as other places, I’d be doing alright at that salary in my county.
I know exactly how you're feeling. I know the museum you're working at and it's truly disappointing, they probably think $68 is high. I'm at $65K also in SoCal and they tell me that the salary is high.
Curious: did you ask about trajectory of the postion or advancement? Over the past years in interviews, I'd ask about this and the interviewer never had an answer.
Especially messed up because the houses right outside are 5+ million dollars. If it’s the place I’m thinking of…
I recently found out that a couple of the top admins live in houses on our institutions campus. I am assuming rent free. SMDH
Assistant Registrar, Texas, 47,000 USD
Institution operation budget is $20M+
Jesus Christ…
Tell me about it. I even showed the AAMD salary survey when I last asked for a pay increase and listed out all of my responsibilities (lots of projects). Surprise, I didn’t get it.
Ugh, bummer so sorry.
Where in TX? Dallas is a different world compared to say, Orange TX. Stark Museum of Art has a stunning Southwest art collection: Remingtons, Blumenschein, Higgins, Baumann, Dunton, Ufer, Berninghaus; basically any Taos society artists. Excellent programming, outreach, collabs. But no one knows about it cause it’s in Orange TX
Prefer not to say just because Texas, although large, is quite small in the art world.
I can say, my location only showcases how poor my compensation is.
I gotchu, Texas be Texas
I have my own art services company and occasionally think it would be good to be a part of an organization again. Unfortunately, these salaries scare me. You all deserve at least a 10% raise across the board.
Interpretive Planner for gov agency, remote but in Columbus, Ohio, $87,000
I’ve also been an educator for $26,000 (salaried LOL), a community engagement coordinator at a natural history museum for $42,000, an exhibits director for a science center at $55,000 and an associate producer for a design firm at $62,000 (all in Ohio)
Classic example of education in museums being vastly underpaid
YUP. This was prior to the salary minimum laws so I regularly worked 45-50 hour weeks, which would shake out to be well under minimum wage.
Oh dude! Obama might always be my fave just because that law boosted my salary by like 8-10k
We just got moved to hourly with split schedules and no OT 🙃
Addition to post: I know my collection manager and registrars LOVE the data and the tracking. Anyone want to nerd out on the stats??
$91,000, Exhibits Specialist (Design), DoD museum, Virginia. It's federal, and unusually high because I've been there 18 years. I am trying with all my might to move on, but absolutely no where pays as well.
Federal golden handcuffs are real. I can’t stomach the thought of going back to non-federal benefits.
That’s amazing but also such a long time to be in one place! I’d love to pick your brain on the design aspect!
Just had to turn down the perfect position at the botanical gardens at my university. They originally offered me 38.5 and i got it up to 45k, which is less than expected based on my experience, education (graduate degree), previous conversations with leadership. I just need to pay off my loans
Exhibitions Project Manager, London (UK.) £42k p/a.
Much lower than the other salaries posted here, but that's enough to cover the mortgage on my three-bedroom house. I'm the sole breadwinner for a family of three.
Obviously, I live outside London and commute! No one with kids and without a huge inheritance in this job lives in the city.
Until recently I was the Marketing Director at The Mattress Factory Contemporary Art Museum in Pittsburgh.
I was paid $40,000/yr.
I was forced to take a pay cut while on medical leave for cancer treatment.
Lovely museum. .I hope from the pay you were at 20 hours / week....
Hahahahaha no.
Staff would teach each other how to sign up for food stamps while I was there. Their big "comp correct" for front of house staff was ending the $12/hr "trial period" of 6 months and just giving people $13/hr on hire.
It's cartoonish.
Registrar and Collections Manager, Los Angeles area, $65,000. Other duties not on the job description: Facilities, curatorial assistant, database administrator, rights and reproductions, archivist. The exhibition schedule is very active and last minute even though I was told at my interview it is full until 2026. I have 10 years+ experience with an MA and I feel like I'm drowning in this job. Also, not very reassuring, the CFO constantly telling staff how we aren't making payroll.
Curatorial assistant, midsized contemporary art museum, Kentucky, $38,000.
I have a masters degree and have begun door dashing to make ends meet.
Inflation is so bad in SoCal that folks can’t even order via DoorDash anymore. Been trying to schedule Dashes but the only ones avail are in L.A. …. I can’t even afford the gas to drive down to L.A. LMAO but crying at the same time!!!!!
Audiovisual specialist in San Francisco art museums: 26/hr and 31/hr
Archivist in Bay Area library: 25/hr
Ohh I’ve been applying (unsuccessfully) to work for the SFFAMs. The benefits all sound so good. How do you like it?
Ah my position there doesn't qualify for benefits so can't say there, but I really like a lot of my coworkers across multiple departments !
Assistant Curator, Boston suburbs, $49,350. Great benefits though (for the first time in my 20-year career).
collections technician, ohio, $13 an hour 🥴
In a gallery, in NYC, art handler, $72,000
I'm really only commenting (since I'm not in a museum) to say, we have been working to unionize our place for a while now, through a UAW chapter that has unionized a lot of museums. Do it!
Starting a new position soon. I’ll be an archivist (kinda lol) in an oral history department. Philly. $48,000.
Collection Technician, Los Angeles, 20/hr
How TF is Starbucks paying higher in my city in SC than what you are getting
Project registrar, $38,000, Asheville NC, I also have a second job :(
Assistant registrar, Los Angeles. I get paid hourly, but it amounts to about $58,000 a year.
How….how do you get by? I’m living in dirt cheap Indiana and I’m not exactly saving for retirement. Isn’t LA stupid expensive?
It is, but it’s no as expensive as people tend to think. Still, it’s not exactly a breeze to get by.
I always figure it’s no where bad as most news sources say. But, it’s still a lot
Historic Sites Supervisor, Greeley CO, $72,300 three years in.
How’s the job market in that area? We were looking to move out there or Windsor
In museums? Very limited even in the PT market. Denver Area is more robust naturally. I’d say I see a FT job in NE CO come open every 5-6 months.
Curatorial Assistant, Toronto (Canada), 50,000 CAD or about 35,601 USD.
Criminal. You deserve better (from a former Curatorial Assistant, USA who didn't do much better but still!)
I have the same title, in the same city, and I’m making 71,000 CAD. (Approx 52,000 USD).
I’m a curator and get paid the same amount in a pretty rural museum in Alberta. The cost of living here is night and day compared to Toronto.
Some days I’m half tempted to demand a raise from my board, though I’m entirely sure they’ll just shut down my demand. I don’t know how you’re doing it.
Demand it! If we all bring this insane pay disparity between museum pros and other professions that have the same expectations and education requirements- shout it. Unless you want things to stay the same
im also in toronto and am a student looking to go into the field...you deserve better!!!! <3
Assistant curator, Texas, $60,000
“Manager of historical collections”, Kansas City, Ks, 74,000 usd
Coordinator of arts and museums, $78k, Los Angeles
Educator, Albuquerque, NM, 15 bucks an hour. Yes it sucks.
Exhibitions & Collections Assistant, Los Angeles, CA, $22 an hour (~$45k pre taxes)
Curious, what’s with a lot of the LA museums being hourly for these roles as opposed to salary? Is there a reason behind it. I was looking at LACMA opportunities previously and was so curious about that.
I think it has to do with overtime eligibility
I have no idea tbh! Anyone else have any theories?
I know here in Florida some museums that have hourly wages have them since some staff don't work full week days so that might be the case in LA
I might have an answer! Or at least a theory. So every museum I’ve worked at (6 now including internships), the exhibit designer/preparator is always hourly even though they absolutely should be salaried for the level of responsibility, expectations, and the fact that install weeks are hell and they always have to stay late to hussle to get everything done.
I’ve always been of the opinion that the easiest positions are usually the ones that pay the most and the positions that put the most labor in are typically valued at far less. Capitalism baby!
California has laws setting minimum salary rates, higher than federal minimums (until the recent increase). May be related.
Now do actual duties and pay lol bc I’d say my pay is ok for title but shit for duties 😂
Haha, mine is shit for both!
My place changed the title of the position from director of Ed to curator of Ed after the 10+ years in director left and it was time to repost the opening. Want to take a guess at the reason for the director to curator change was?
I’d be all about it but that would absolutely need to be broken down into different departments “chunks” if that makes sensr
Curatorial Assistant, Massachusetts, $54,000
Did you read about the strike at massmoca?
I did, without outing myself, we also striked and got pay raise commensurate to inflation
Collections manager, rural Ontario Canada $67,000 🇨🇦 (~ $49,000 🇺🇸)
Digital Producer (graphic design, videography and exhibition design mostly) - Manchester, UK, £29k / year (amounts to around $36k USD). factoring in the fact the wages in the UK are much lower than the USA and the pay landscape in the UK heritage sector, this is good pay, and we just got a museum wide pay rise in the new tax year. that being said, way underpaid for the volume of work that's under my jurisdiction
Matting & Framing preparator; TX; 50k usd
Lead Preparator, Raleigh, NC $38,000
Us full time/lead preps are SO underpayed considering how niche our knowledge is on the field.
What does Lead Preparator involve?
My job is similar to a collections assistant, collections manager, and handler at other institutions. Essentially, I move objects around the museum, pack them for travel, install and deinstall objects for exhibits, courier objects, and rehouse objects in the collections. I’m the supervisor for other preparators at the museum.