Did You Know?
In 2012, the Museum of Modern Art in New York added 14 video games to its collection, including Pac-Man and Tetris.
How to Get Started
Getting started as a curator begins with noticing the objects around you and wondering about the people and stories behind them. Building habits of looking closely, asking where things came from, and explaining what you see to someone else are all early steps. Every curator started by caring about an object, a collection, or a story enough to want to share it.
Explore the Basics
On your next museum visit with a parent or caregiver, perhaps on a free admission day, stop and read three labels, then notice which one made you want to look closer. Ask yourself what the label told you, what it left out, and how many words it used. Curators write every label with a visitor in mind, so reading them closely is one of the first ways to learn the job.
Try It Out
Pick a toy, a rock, or a keepsake and write a label for it in as few words as you can, without saying what it is. Read your label to a friend or family member and see whether they can guess the object. Curators face the same challenge, because every label has to say something useful and interesting in very few words.
Join the Community
With a parent or caregiver, visit a museum on a free or family day or join a tour, and ask a guide why one object was chosen for display. Guides and educators spend their days talking with visitors about the collection, so a question about how objects get picked is a good one to ask. Listening to the answer is a first step toward thinking like a curator.