History and scholarship
Malraux (1947) wrote of the 'imaginary museum'; Hooper-Greenhill (1992) used Foucault to show how museums shape knowledge; Bennett (1995) analysed the 'exhibitionary complex'. Weil (1999, Daedalus) argued museums shift from being about something to being for somebody, and Falk and Dierking (1992) founded visitor-experience research. ICOM is reported to have revised its museum definition in 2022.
Getting it
It is generally described as passing the associate curator exam, then gaining museum experience to move up grades. Check law and notices for requirements. Requirements, subjects, credit and practicum rules, pass criteria and dates can change; always check the administering body's notice and current law.
Work and careers
Public and private museums, galleries, archives and heritage bodies. Education work overlaps with lifelong educators.
FAQ
- Do I need a specific major?
- Requirements vary by grade; check the law.
- Same as 'curator'?
- Similar in practice; 학예사 is the legal title.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Q-Net 큐넷(한국산업인력공단). https://www.q-net.or.kr
- 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr
- International Council of Museums (ICOM). Museum definition. https://icom.museum
- Malraux, A. (1947). Le Musée imaginaire. Gallimard.
- Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1992). Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge. Routledge.
- Bennett, T. (1995). The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics. Routledge.
- Weil, S. E. (1999). From being about something to being for somebody: The ongoing transformation of the American museum. Daedalus, 128(3), 229–258.
- Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (1992). The Museum Experience. Whalesback Books.
- Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.
- Collins, R. (1979). The Credential Society: An Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification. Academic Press.
- Abbott, A. (1988). The System of Professions: An Essay on the Division of Expert Labor. University of Chicago Press.