How does one start a career as a Costume Historian in a Museum?

Hi! My name is Maegan ******. I am a freshman at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN (it's a little warmer down here...). I found your web page(s) while looking through some costuming links and have thoroughly enjoyed what I have had time to look at so far. Although I don't plan on being a theatre major, I have a passion for costuming and costume research and I'm currently entertaining the idea of transforming my obsession into a career. I would ideally like to do research for costume collections in museums, and I was wondering if you know anything about the possibilities of this as a career. Thank you for taking the time to read this. You have a wonderfully enviable costume shop! I think I'm going to have to suggest that our designer take a look at it. Thank you, Maegan

Actually, yes. There are several places where you can get the MA in Textile conservation you would best get to get ahead in museum land. 1. the Courtald Institute in London (the first place to offer it), 2. NYU in NY that works with the Metropolitan Museum of Art apprentices, and Kent State University in Ohio (which has a big museum and program). Your first step however, is to join The Costume Society of America which is where all the museum folks network, do conferences, present papers and all that career stuff. Also volunteer at once at a local museum (the bigger the better) that has a textile conservation lab. They are hungry for volunteers, and you learn lots for free. ---Tara

See also 

• Costume and Textile Museums & Societies  
• Grants for the Study of Costume