51101 – Conservators and curators
TEER 1Occupations usually requiring a university degree
Lead statement
Conservators restore and conserve artifacts belonging to museums, galleries and owners of cultural property.
Main duties
- Examine artifacts, determine their condition, suggest methods for treating them and recommend preventive conservation techniques to their owners
- Restore and conserve paintings, photographs, books, papers, sculptures, furniture, pottery or other museum and art gallery artifacts as per particular field of specialization
- Provide advice on display and storage of museum and gallery artifacts to ensure proper maintenance and preservation
- Explore new conservation and restoration techniques
- Provide consultation to museums, art galleries or private individuals
- Supervise conservation technicians and other museum technicians.
- Recommend the acquisition of paintings, photographs, sculptures, documents and other museum and art gallery artifacts
- Conduct research into objects' methods of construction techniques, structure and materials to understand its physical and chemical makeup
- Develop storylines and themes and organize displays and exhibitions
- Coordinate the storage of collections and the setting up of displays and exhibitions
- Oversee the conservation, display and circulation of collections
- Supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.
Employment requirements
- Conservators may be accredited by the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators.
- Conservators require a master's degree in art conservation orcompletion of a two-year college program in conservation technology and several years of experience in conservation work.
- Curators require a master's or bachelor's degree in museology, art history or a field related to their specific area of work.
Example job titles
conservator - museum · ceramics and glass conservator · fine art and polychrome conservator · historical artifact conservator · paintings conservator · textile conservator · library and archives conservator · book conservator · art gallery conservator · curator · museum curator · science and technology curator · library curator · assistant museum curator
Wages (per hour)
| Province / territory | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $23.54 | $36.36 | $54.74 |
| Nova Scotia | $24.53 | $35.67 | $53.20 |
| Quebec | $26.30 | $38.57 | $52.91 |
| Ontario | $24.95 | $34.28 | $45.64 |
| Saskatchewan | $31.05 | $39.46 | $53.44 |
| Alberta | $23.93 | $38.06 | $55.06 |
| British Columbia | $25.08 | $36.17 | $44.74 |
Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
Occupation details: ESDC OaSIS 2025, based on NOC 2021.