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OaSIS 2025 Version 1.0
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51101.02 – Curators

Curators recommend the acquisition of museum artifacts and gallery works of art and research their artistic history.

Overview

Example job titles

  • Art gallery conservator
  • Curator

Core competencies

  • Critical Thinking, Decision Making and Problem Solving to critically evaluate artwork, make judgments about the significance and condition of items, select and manage collections effectively and address challenges in curation such as space limitations or budget constraints
  • Oral Communication: Oral Comprehension to understand and process complex verbal information, allowing an effective collaboration between colleagues, stakeholders and experts on research and exhibitions
  • Colour Perception to accurately differentiate subtle colour variations, hues and tones in various lighting conditions to assess the condition of artworks or identify artists' techniques
  • Near Vision to detect fine details such as brushstrokes on paintings, inscriptions on sculptures or intricate patterns on textiles
  • Creativity to design compelling, insightful and cohesive collections that engage diverse audiences and reflect deep contextual understanding
  • Knowledge in Library, Conservation, and Heritage to understand various methods to develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloguing and basic record-keeping systems using computer databases

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Recommend the acquisition of paintings, photographs, sculptures, documents and other museum and art gallery artifacts
  • Conduct research into objects' methods of construction techniques, structure and materials to understand its physical and chemical makeup
  • Develop storylines and themes and organize displays and exhibitions
  • Coordinate the storage of collections and the setting up of displays and exhibitions
  • Oversee the conservation, display and circulation of collections
  • Supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.

Additional information

  • Progression to museum or art gallery management positions is possible with experience.
  • Conservators and curators may specialize in a particular type of collection or material, such as furniture, weapons, books, paintings and musical instruments.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

5 – Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport

TEER

1 – Occupations usually require a university degree

Major group

51 – Professional occupations in art and culture

Sub-major group

511 – Professional occupations in art and culture

Minor group

5110 – Librarians, archivists, conservators and curators

Unit group

51101 – Conservators and curators

Occupational profile

51101.02 – Curators

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.