Museums and Galleries PG

Careers in Museums, Galleries and Heritage


 

Museums, Galleries and Heritage Sector Resources

A career in museums, galleries and the heritage sector is a good option for graduates of history, classics, and other humanities subjects. Sometimes there are also niche roles for graduates from other departments e.g. working in a science centre or museum, so if you are interested in shining a modern light on the past, there are options for students from many academic disciplines. We held a week of events exploring this sector from 12-16 February 2024, and whether you were able to attend or not, you can still access lots of useful resources.

MGH Week Collage

 

We held the following online panel events, which you can view in the "Webinars to Watch" section below:

  • Creating Historical Worlds: careers in historical media and documentary
  • Art Conservation Careers: Combining Art, Science and Heritage

In addition:

Anne-Marie Purcell, Archivist & Special Collections Curator gave a tour of Royal Holloway's archives. A full list of the collection is available here or you can search the catalogue. The rare book collections are searchable via the library catalogue.

Peggy Ainsworth, Art Collections Officer gave a tour of the Picture Gallery which you can still arrange to visit at other times. She has also produced a very useful Museums and Heritage Careers Resource for students looking at working in this sector.

Beginner's Guide

 

Museums and Heritage

Indigo

 

Discover more on Moodle

Go to our Museums and Heritage section on Moodle for more information.

Which role is right for you?

Prospects is a useful website, where you can explore the different roles in a sector. Check out the Museum Jobs and How to get into Museum Conservation pages. 

Webinars to watch

Creating Historical Worlds: Careers in Historical Media and Documentary

Professionals involved in historical storytelling, from factual podcasting to large scale TV productions, describe how historical worlds are recreated and how you could launch your career in this field. Chaired by Matthew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Public Humanities.

Panel:

Emily Briffett BBC History Extra podcast

Sarah Sarkhel, Executive Producer from Lion TV

Lucy Marks Lion TV - Researcher on Inside the Tower of London Series 6

Sian Toogood  Head of Digital Reach project, The Science Museum Group, previously Video Producer at The British Museum

Amanda Murphy, Professor of Creative Industries at Royal Holloway & Senior Executive Producer, Storyfutures Academy/ Storytrails will discuss how they reimagined history using new immersive technologies in AR 

Watch the recording

Art Conservation Careers: Combining Art, Science and Heritage

Danielle Burke, Lead Art Historian at the Fine Art Restoration Company gave an in-depth Q&A session. Discussions included finding a practical career path in the heritage sector, internship opportunities and the skilled work that goes into professional restoration. 

Watch the recording

Getting Volunteering Experience in the Museums, Galleries and Heritage sector

Hear from our panel on everything you need to know about getting volunteering experience in the heritage sector:

Watch the recording

The Digital Future of Museums

Hosted by Matthew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Public Humanities, this event explored real-life examples of how digital experiences and content have been incorporated into the heritage sector. We heard about some exciting ways in which the heritage sector is using tech, as well as ideas on where this may lead in the future

Panellists:

Watch the recording

Navigating your heritage career

Taking your first steps into the museums sector can be daunting. In this session, delivered by a representative from the Museums Association, explore what you can do to get your career in this sector off to a flying start. From understanding the different roles that exist, the ways to make connections and how to continue to develop your skills, the session takes a broad look at the industry and how to kick off your career.

Watch the recording herePresentation Slides available here.

Getting Your Foot In The Door In The Arts & Heritage Sector

This session was led by Edmund Connolly an English/Classics alumnus. Edmund has worked in a variety of heritage and museum roles from Egyptology and Palaeontology to Harry Potter and the Nutcracker and currently works at Google Arts & Culture. He is an Executive of the International Council of Museums (UK) and sits on the board of a couple of charities. This session explores how your degree can feed into your career, the skills and challenges of the heritage sector, and some tips for application writing and interviewing.

Watch the recording here

Exhibition Skills

In this workshop College Curator Dr Laura MacCulloch gives insights into how galleries plan exhibitions and discusses writing exhibition labels. In case you get the exhibition bug she also introduces Art UK’s curation tool which allows you to create and publish your own online exhibitions.

Watch the recording here

Q & A with Ruth from the National Sept 11 Memorial & Museum in NYC

Ruth has worked in both regional and national cultural institutions, mainly in museums.
She now oversees public programs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York.
Their programs are broad-reaching and seek to explore the continued impact of 9/11 today, from its impact on TV and culture, to the rising wave of white supremacy domestic terrorism in the U.S.
She discusses pathways into museums, experience/qualifications needed, what types of jobs exist inside museums, the positives and drawbacks, the difference between regional and national institutions, and how COVID-19 has shaped the sector.

Watch the recording here

Museum Jobs you might not have considered

Find out about two of the lesser known jobs in museums and galleries by joining our former College Curator Dr Laura McCulloch and her two guests working in heritage jobs you might not have thought about.
She’ll introduce you to Harriet Pearson, a paintings conservator at Tate, and Charis Millet, an art technician for the specialist art handling firm Gander and White. Laura will be asking them what’s involved in their jobs, how they came to be in them and what they like best about their work.

Watch the recording here

 

Not sure where to start?

Check out the Museums and Heritage Sector Guide on Moodle, packed full of useful information and insights!

Prospects is also a useful website, where you can explore the different roles in a sector.

From archivist to Heritage Manager and Museum Director check out the Museum roles they have listed.

 

Find a job, get recruited

Sector focused websites:

Resources

And finally...

Discover Royal Holloway's Art Collection and Picture Gallery - check for upcoming events and regular lunchtime talks.

Check out the Moodle sector guide on Careers in Museums, Galleries and Heritage

Read it here