[BCMA] Guest Curators

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Hi Regan,

 

Thank you for this insight! It’s great to hear from someone who works as a guest curator to learn about that side of the equation. 

 

Many thanks,

Brittany

 

--

 

Brittany V. Vis, MLIS (she, her)

Executive Director

250-385-4222 ext. 106

 <http://mmbc.bc.ca/> Maritime Museum of British Columbia

 

The Maritime Museum of BC is on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, who have respected these lands and waters for thousands of years.

 



 

From: Listserv <listserv-bounces at lists.museum.bc.ca> On Behalf Of Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv
Sent: January 6, 2022 12:02 PM
To: listserv at lists.museum.bc.ca
Subject: Re: [BCMA] Guest Curators

 

Hi Brittany,

 

I occasionally work as a guest curator, and I can say that payments run a range depending on the organization and the amount of work done. Sometimes museums want the curator to handle all the contracts and administration (such as coding receipts, grant writing, etc) and sometimes organizations just ask you to research, write text panels, select work, and community outreach.

 

Most likely I will get a lump honorium that is divided into three payments (one at the very beginning, one at the 50 percent completed mark, and one at the end), other times I get a monthly honorarium, or very occasionally get per hour. These run from $5,000 to $20,000 per exhibition, $500 to $2,500 per month, or $30 to $100 an hour. I would suggest that you figure out the amount of hours that you think the curator will need, and the negotiation with them.

 

As a guest curator, I personally look at the organization's budget, and offer sliding scales. I do this because I also work for an art museum, so I understand the reality of a budget. However, because most independent curators, this is their only livelihood, hence why the budget can be so high.

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions,

 

Regan Shrumm

On Thursday, January 6, 2022, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv <listserv at lists.museum.bc.ca <mailto:listserv at lists.museum.bc.ca> > wrote:

Hi everyone,

 

The Maritime Museum of BC in Victoria is considering inviting a guest curator for a fall exhibit we would like to do. While we’ve worked with artists on consignment type shows, we’ve never had a guest curator. I’m just wondering who else might have worked with a guest curator in the past. What was the honorarium like, both in terms of how much and when was it paid out? Also, what kind of work was included in the agreement? Did the guest curator essentially take over all exhibit work, or was there a more equal sharing of this work with staff?

 

Any thoughts/insights you might have on working with guest curators would be very much appreciated!

 

Many thanks,

Brittany

 

--

 

Brittany V. Vis, MLIS (she, her)

Executive Director

250-385-4222 ext. 106

 <http://mmbc.bc.ca/> Maritime Museum of British Columbia

 

The Maritime Museum of BC is on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, who have respected these lands and waters for thousands of years.

 



 



-- 

Pronouns - She/Her/They/Them

 

I acknowledge that I am an uninvited guest on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples. 

 

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