The traditional picture
In the classic account, a curator is an expert in a collection. The curator chooses objects, researches them, decides how they relate to one another and writes the interpretation, while exhibition designers, conservators, registrars and technicians handle the physical display. Within that picture, the curator role centered on knowledge and selection.
That picture was never entirely accurate, since curators have always worked with others and many have strong design instincts. But it describes a division of labor that was fairly clear when most exhibits were objects, text panels and printed graphics.
What changed with digital media
Digital media blurred some of those lines. A screen-based exhibit has to be written, structured, designed, programmed, tested and maintained, and decisions in one area affect all of the others. Several effects followed.
Interpretation became interactive. Writing a label is a linear task. Planning an exhibit where visitors choose their own path means deciding what is offered, in what order, and what happens if they ignore it. That is partly a content decision and partly a design one. The craft of exhibit writing has had to adapt to short, modular pieces that work in any order.
Curators became involved in interface choices. Selection of content, such as which images to show, which records to include and how to describe them, now has direct consequences for navigation and layout. A curator who understands how an interface will present their selection can make better choices, and the decisions behind exhibit curation increasingly overlap with design.
Production skills became useful. Writing captions, preparing images, handling audio and checking rights are all steps that benefit from a curator’s knowledge. Many curators now take part in tasks such as object photography or recording oral histories rather than handing everything to others.
Evaluation moved closer to practice. Testing with visitors is routine in digital work, and curators are often present for prototype testing. Watching a visitor misread an interface can change how a curator thinks about their own text.
What “creator” does and does not mean
The title phrase suggests that curators have turned into creators, and there is some truth in it. Many curators now shape the experience as well as the content. But it should not be taken to mean that curators are expected to code, animate and engineer exhibits alone.
On most professional projects the work is shared. Typical roles include a project manager, content specialists, designers, developers, media producers, accessibility advisers and evaluators, although small museums combine several of these in one person. The point is not that one person does everything but that each person understands enough of the others’ work to collaborate well. The topic of team roles is discussed separately; here the interesting change is the overlap.
Skills that tend to help
Most of these can be learned on the job, and none is a requirement in every setting.
- Visitor awareness. Thinking about who will use the exhibit, how long they will spend and what they already know. Different groups, from family visitors to specialist users, expect different things.
- Writing for the screen. Short, plain sentences, headings and clear choices. Plain language is useful on screens and on walls.
- Basic technical literacy. Knowing the difference between a file, a player and a display, what a network dependency means, and what is easy or hard to change later.
- Accessibility awareness. Understanding that screen readers, captions and adjustable text affect the content as well as the code.
- Working with briefs and budgets. Describing a need clearly in an exhibit brief and understanding why a feature costs what it does.
- Openness to testing. Accepting that a first design is a draft.
New tensions
The wider role brings real challenges. Curators who spend time on interface decisions may have less time for research. Design choices can be made by default if nobody is responsible for them. And there is a risk of “creator” culture that pushes ambitious technical effects over the quality of interpretation. Many museums have found it useful to state who has the final say on content and who on interface, and to review both with visitors.
Ethical responsibilities have also grown. Digital exhibits involve decisions about visitor privacy, image permissions and consulting source communities, and a curator is often the person best placed to raise them. Digital work does not remove the curator’s duty of care for the collection and the communities it represents.
Beyond the museum staff
Another change is that the line between those who make exhibits and those who use them has softened. Some projects invite public contributions, community co-curation or collaborative design, so curators may act as facilitators as much as authors. Opinions differ on how far this should go, and it can raise difficult questions about quality and authority.
Practical advice for small teams
If you are a curator at a small institution facing a first digital project, a few steps are reasonable:
- Start with the interpretive question, not the technology.
- Learn the vocabulary well enough to read a supplier’s proposal.
- Make time to watch visitors use a rough version.
- Say clearly which decisions you own and which you delegate.
- Keep a record of what was decided and why.
The curator’s expertise remains the foundation of a good exhibit. What has changed is that this expertise now has to travel through design and technology, and the people who do it best tend to be those who stay curious about both.