curator
noun
cu·ra·tor ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər 
ˈkyər-;
kyu̇-ˈrā-;
ˈkyu̇r-ə-,
ˈkyər- plural curators
: a person who oversees or manages a place (such as a museum or zoo) that offers exhibits
"My passion for animal care and collection management really drove me to become a curator."
Scott Newland
Scott Newland also : a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area
the curator of manuscripts
curatorial
ˌkyu̇r-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl
adjective ˌkyər-
curatorship
ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər-ˌship
noun ˈkyər-;
kyu̇-ˈrā-;
ˈkyu̇r-ə-
ˈkyər-
Did you know?
In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web How Shahin or the curator, both of whom have since died, obtained the papyrus remains uncertain. Ilan Ben Zion, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022 They should never be handled by people who aren’t trained, said Matt Evans, assistant curator of herpetology at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in D.C. Cathy Free, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 The sixth-floor loft is being offered up by art curator and scholar, Susan Vogel, alongside her partner Kenneth Prewitt, as reported by the New York Post. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2022 An investigation was launched after Nick Wilding, a professor of history at Georgia State University, contacted the university's curator, Pablo Alvarez. Claudia Dominguez, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 Misty Flores, assistant curator at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, grew up in the Northside. Adán Medrano, Chron, 1 Aug. 2022 That shift in climate (and the introduction of humans as predators) ended the reign of the saber-tooth cat, the American camel, the mastodon and other species later unearthed in the La Brea Tar Pits, where Dunn is an assistant curator. Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 Fashion historian and assistant curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Darnell Jamal Lisby, agrees that the spectacle, however baffling at first, was more successful than predicted. Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 15 Sep. 2021 The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has named Matthew Hargraves, who has been the historic museum’s interim chief curator for the past year, the new director. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2022 See More
Ilan Ben Zion, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022 They should never be handled by people who aren’t trained, said Matt Evans, assistant curator of herpetology at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in D.C. Cathy Free, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 The sixth-floor loft is being offered up by art curator and scholar, Susan Vogel, alongside her partner Kenneth Prewitt, as reported by the New York Post. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2022 An investigation was launched after Nick Wilding, a professor of history at Georgia State University, contacted the university's curator, Pablo Alvarez. Claudia Dominguez, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 Misty Flores, assistant curator at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, grew up in the Northside. Adán Medrano, Chron, 1 Aug. 2022 That shift in climate (and the introduction of humans as predators) ended the reign of the saber-tooth cat, the American camel, the mastodon and other species later unearthed in the La Brea Tar Pits, where Dunn is an assistant curator. Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 Fashion historian and assistant curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Darnell Jamal Lisby, agrees that the spectacle, however baffling at first, was more successful than predicted. Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 15 Sep. 2021 The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has named Matthew Hargraves, who has been the historic museum’s interim chief curator for the past year, the new director. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin cūrātor "one who looks after, superintendent, guardian," from cūrāre "to watch over, attend" + -tor, agent suffix — more at cure entry 2
First Known Use
1660, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing curator
Kids Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər
kyu̇-ˈrā-,
ˈkyu̇r-ə-
: a person in charge of a museum or zoo
Legal Definition
curator
noun
cu·ra·tor ˈkyu̇r-ˌā-tər, kyu̇-ˈrā-tər
in the civil law of Louisiana : a person appointed by a court to care for the property of an absent person or to care for the person or property of someone mentally incapable of doing so compare committee, conservator, guardian, interdict, tutor
curators
noun
as in co-curators
a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, etc. a curator seeking an addition to the collection Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- co-curators
- guardians
- custodians
- janitors
- keepers
- caretakers
- stewards
- wardens
- cocurators
- watchmen
- sextons