Curator Jobs
Curator jobs are open across museums, galleries, archives, botanical gardens, and corporate collections, from assistant to chief curator level, with specializations in art, natural history, digital collections, and living collections. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 19+ Curator jobs
Job no: 492592
Work type: Professional
Location: Norman
Categories: Arts, Media & Communications
Pay Range: Targeted salary up to $55,000, depending on experience.
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday Standard / Fixed Schedule
Travel: Not required
Position Introduction:
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is looking for a dynamic Curator to be an ambassador for the museum, its collections, and curatorial practices. As a bridge between objects and visitors, you'll curate exhibits and engage communities with compelling narratives. This role requires expertise, creativity, collaboration, and a passion for cultural stewardship.
The Curator will work within the Division of Museum Experiences to develop a coherent intellectual and organizational approach to the Museum's collections, and to bring a depth and breadth of curatorial expertise and collections knowledge to our audiences. These include OU students, adult and family visitors from Norman, Oklahoma City, and beyond, and state-wide school-age students. This role organizes, presents, and stewards the collections to make a leading contribution to the Museum's Program, and expand the impact and influence of the Museum's collections.
Reporting to the Head of Museum Experiences, the Curator will work alongside museum educators, interpretation specialists, and visitor services staff as part of a team that delivers the whole Museum Experience. The Curator will contribute to the presentation of permanent gallery spaces, to the development of leading exhibitions, and to the broad Program design as a contributing member of The Program team. They will work closely with the Division of Exhibitions and Collections Services to ensure excellent stewardship of collections, galleries, and loaned artworks. They will work with colleagues in External Affairs, Marketing and Communications as well as the Museum's Director to support the broad mission of positioning and promoting the Museum. The Curator will network actively with other curators and museum professionals across the State and nation, and where relevant beyond the U.S. They will support the Museum's aims as an ambassador for our work, not least by cultivating relationships with artists, designers, collectors, foundations, and donors, among others, to support collection development, audience engagement, financial sustainability, and special projects.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree.
- 36 months of curatorial, librarian, museum registration, or academic experience working with historic or literary collections, manuscripts, artifacts, or memorabilia in a library, museum, educational, archives, or similar public institution.
Equivalency/Substitution: Will accept 48 months of related experience in lieu of the Bachelor's degree for a total of 84 months of related experience.
Required Certifications and Licenses:
- Valid Driver's License
Department Preferences:
- Graduate degree in Art History in an area of strength aligned with our collections (or a qualification in Museum Studies), plus curatorial expertise, enthusiasm, and a passion for all areas of museum work.
- Curatorial experience in looking after a permanent collection, managing gallery spaces, writing gallery and online texts and other forms of communication, and maintaining and improving curatorial records.
- Excellent literacy skills, outstanding verbal communication; able to write and speak in academic environments as well as in accessible language and formats that all visitors can access.
- Proven experience of working in teams and partnering with colleagues and external bodies to achieve shared goals and navigate challenges; your current co-workers are likely to describe you as an excellent colleague and collaborator.
- Demonstrate honesty, pragmatism, and diligence in management of resources, both financial and human.
- Ability to work efficiently and productively within budget, within brief and within timeframes.
Hiring Contingent Upon a Background Check: Yes
Advertised: 24 Apr 2026 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 23 Jul 2026 Central Daylight Time
Job no: 492592
Work type: Professional
Location: Norman
Categories: Arts, Media & Communications
Pay Range: Targeted salary up to $55,000, depending on experience.
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday Standard / Fixed Schedule
Travel: Not required
Position Introduction:
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is looking for a dynamic Curator to be an ambassador for the museum, its collections, and curatorial practices. As a bridge between objects and visitors, you'll curate exhibits and engage communities with compelling narratives. This role requires expertise, creativity, collaboration, and a passion for cultural stewardship.
The Curator will work within the Division of Museum Experiences to develop a coherent intellectual and organizational approach to the Museum's collections, and to bring a depth and breadth of curatorial expertise and collections knowledge to our audiences. These include OU students, adult and family visitors from Norman, Oklahoma City, and beyond, and state-wide school-age students. This role organizes, presents, and stewards the collections to make a leading contribution to the Museum's Program, and expand the impact and influence of the Museum's collections.
Reporting to the Head of Museum Experiences, the Curator will work alongside museum educators, interpretation specialists, and visitor services staff as part of a team that delivers the whole Museum Experience. The Curator will contribute to the presentation of permanent gallery spaces, to the development of leading exhibitions, and to the broad Program design as a contributing member of The Program team. They will work closely with the Division of Exhibitions and Collections Services to ensure excellent stewardship of collections, galleries, and loaned artworks. They will work with colleagues in External Affairs, Marketing and Communications as well as the Museum's Director to support the broad mission of positioning and promoting the Museum. The Curator will network actively with other curators and museum professionals across the State and nation, and where relevant beyond the U.S. They will support the Museum's aims as an ambassador for our work, not least by cultivating relationships with artists, designers, collectors, foundations, and donors, among others, to support collection development, audience engagement, financial sustainability, and special projects.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree.
- 36 months of curatorial, librarian, museum registration, or academic experience working with historic or literary collections, manuscripts, artifacts, or memorabilia in a library, museum, educational, archives, or similar public institution.
Equivalency/Substitution: Will accept 48 months of related experience in lieu of the Bachelor's degree for a total of 84 months of related experience.
Required Certifications and Licenses:
- Valid Driver's License
Department Preferences:
- Graduate degree in Art History in an area of strength aligned with our collections (or a qualification in Museum Studies), plus curatorial expertise, enthusiasm, and a passion for all areas of museum work.
- Curatorial experience in looking after a permanent collection, managing gallery spaces, writing gallery and online texts and other forms of communication, and maintaining and improving curatorial records.
- Excellent literacy skills, outstanding verbal communication; able to write and speak in academic environments as well as in accessible language and formats that all visitors can access.
- Proven experience of working in teams and partnering with colleagues and external bodies to achieve shared goals and navigate challenges; your current co-workers are likely to describe you as an excellent colleague and collaborator.
- Demonstrate honesty, pragmatism, and diligence in management of resources, both financial and human.
- Ability to work efficiently and productively within budget, within brief and within timeframes.
Hiring Contingent Upon a Background Check: Yes
Advertised: 24 Apr 2026 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 23 Jul 2026 Central Daylight Time
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Find Curator JobsCurator Job Market
A snapshot from current openings nationwide, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Smithsonian Institution2
- The Museum of Modern Art2
- Adelphi University1
- Alice + Olivia1
- Cleveland Museum of Art1
Top Industries Hiring
- Education11
- Hospitality & Tourism5
- Consulting & Professional Services1
- Non-Profit & Social Services1
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in curator jobs.
- Master's degree in art history, museum studies, or a related field
- Experience with collections management software such as TMS, Argus, or PastPerfect
- Demonstrated record of developing and executing exhibitions or programming
- Knowledge of object care, handling, and preventive conservation standards
- Strong writing skills for catalogue essays, grant applications, and acquisition proposals
- Experience with accession, deaccession, and loans documentation processes
Tips for Your Curator Job Search
Tailor your resume to collection type
Art museum curators and natural history curators use different vocabulary, methodologies, and donor cultures. Reframe the same experience using terminology from each institution's published collection plan or recent acquisitions press releases before you apply.
Build a portfolio around collection decisions
Hiring committees want evidence of curatorial judgment, not just task completion. Include acquisition proposals you authored, deaccession rationales you drafted, or exhibition concept statements you wrote, even from graduate coursework or volunteer roles.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists curator openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target institutions by collection scope
Search openings filtered by institution type rather than job title alone. A role titled 'collections specialist' at a natural history museum often carries curatorial responsibilities, while 'curator' at a corporate gallery may skew toward event programming. Read the full position description carefully.
Prepare a collections management system example
Most panels will ask how you've used TMS, Argus, or PastPerfect. Come ready with a specific scenario where you resolved a cataloging inconsistency, migrated legacy records, or built out an object hierarchy, not just confirmation that you've logged in.
Negotiate scope before title or pay
Curator offers at smaller institutions often leave acquisitions authority, travel budgets, and loan approval thresholds undefined. Ask during final-round conversations which of those decisions require director sign-off, so you understand the actual scope of the role before accepting.
Curator Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most curators?
The companies hiring the most curators right now include Smithsonian Institution, The Museum of Modern Art, and Adelphi University, with the largest share of openings in New York, Maryland, and California, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. Openings tend to cluster around major museum districts and university-affiliated institutions.
How many curator jobs are remote?
About 5% of curator openings are fully remote or hybrid as of June 2026, which is lower than many professional roles because hands-on collection access is central to most positions. Digital collections, online exhibitions, and archives-focused roles are the most likely to offer remote or hybrid arrangements.
How do you become a curator?
Most curator roles require a master's degree in a relevant discipline such as art history, archaeology, natural history, or museum studies, followed by practical experience through internships, fellowships, or collections assistant roles. Building a specialization in a specific collection type, publishing in that area, and cultivating relationships within the professional museum community all strengthen a candidacy over time.
How do you get hired as a curator with little experience?
Start by targeting assistant curator, collections assistant, or registrar roles, which build the hands-on collections management and documentation skills hiring panels look for. Volunteer projects with community archives, student-run gallery exhibitions, or digitization initiatives can substitute for paid experience when you frame them around specific curatorial decisions you made, not just tasks you completed.
What does the curator interview process look like?
Curator interviews typically move through an initial screening call, a panel interview with curatorial and administrative staff, and a final-round presentation or gallery walk where you discuss a past exhibition or a proposed acquisition. Some institutions ask candidates to review a section of the collection and present observations or a concept, testing curatorial voice and object knowledge as much as credentials.
Where can I find and apply to curator jobs?
You can find and apply to curator jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from institutions across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your specialization and experience level, then apply directly to each position that fits.
See All Curator Jobs
Jump back to the full list of openings and apply to any curator role that fits.
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