Today I spent the early afternoon in Aberystwyth Arts Centre, at a careers fair arranged to help students gain more insight into the different job markets.
I went to two talks aimed at students studying Arts and Humanities, Working in Arts & Curation and Working in Creative Writing, Journalism & Publishing. The former was held by Carrie Canham, curator at the Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth. It was a great talk about her personal journey, how she has been working on various projects in several different museums, and eventually ended up in the job she has today.
Canham also mentioned the restoration of the Ceredigion Museum, a truly great museum telling the history of the county, and how she and her team approached the task. The new renovation has been amazing and a great improvement. Another great thing about the museum is that it is completely free of charge to enter (and they do have great coffee in the new café).
The Ceredigion Museum’s web page: http://www.medwynsmuseums.co.uk/ceredigion
At the end of her talk, she mentioned a few advice for everyone seeking a job as a curator:
- Think about your specialism, what YOU can give to the museum.
- Think about skills you can develop: fundraising, writing, communication and IT.
- Think about doing some volunteering or get work experience in the field.
- Think about networking, get contacts and friends.
I really enjoy events like this! By listening to other peoples experiences you can truly learn a lot. If there is something I have learned today; if you wish to get your dream job, do not to let the opportunities slip by but grab them when you have a chance, and never ever give up on yourself (even if it seems hard, there is a lot of competition or people give you bad reviews).
Frida Lyholm Limi 