Diversifying the Curatorial Profession

How the Internship/Fellowship Track Can Be Our Essential Path Toward Change

Jen Mergel @jenmergel

Beal Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Co-Lead, Diversity Task Force Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Association of Art Museum Curators @mfaboston @Art_Curators

https://aamd.org/our-members/from-the-field/art-museum-diversity-survey

Art  Museum  Staff  Demographic  Survey  

June  2013:  Mellon  established    $2M  grant  for  undergraduate  fellowships  for  historically  underrepresented  minoriCes,  with  need  for  baseline  data  to  measure  demographic  homogeneity,  specifically  race  and  gender    

Fall  2014:  Mellon  commissioned  survey  with  AAMD  and  AAM  distribuCon  to  secure  responses  from  181  museums  

July  2015:  Findings  published  online  in  this  13-­‐  page  report:    

Traditionalist: b. 1927-45 Baby Boomer: b. 1946-64 Generation X: b. 1965-79 Millennials: b. 1980-2000

Millennials: b. 1980-2000

“ Embracing Millennial Perspectives” (2016)

*Number 83.1 million (10 million more than Boomers)

*50% of the workforce by 2020

*Prefer working for “innovative organizations with a public service mission” over large private companies (2008 survey)

*64% say making world a better place is a priority

*79% want a boss to serve as a coach or mentor

https://aamd.org/our-members/from-the-field/art-museums-by-the-numbers-2015

AKendance  at  AAMD  museums  was  over  60  million  in  2015.    Visitors  spent  an  average  of  $8  per  visit,  while  museums  spent  approximately  $55  per  visitor.    These  numbers  underscore  Museums’  investment  in  public  service.  

Diversifying the Curatorial Profession Through Internships: Four Perspectives