Experts discuss career paths in Saudi museum sector

Arab News

26-07-2025

RIYADH: The Museums Commission held a virtual session on qualifications and job opportunities in the museum sector as part of its monthly Open Talk series, engaging specialists in museums, heritage, and culture.
The session aimed to raise awareness, share expertise, and highlight best practices in managing and preserving cultural heritage to develop the Kingdom's museum sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The discussion covered qualifications, career paths, and skills needed locally and internationally; updates on the Kingdom's museum job market; academic requirements for national talent; key specialized roles; practical competencies; and global trends in digitization and exhibition technologies.
Alsharqi Dahmali, president of the Arab Regional Alliance of the International Council of Museums, said management was a question of development, protection, and employment. He noted employment was fundamental and that the curator role had evolved to require specialized collection management skills.
Dahmali emphasized that curator roles continued to evolve with societal changes, requiring advanced thinking to engage communities and meet public expectations.
He urged museum teams to be prepared for crises with professionalism, and highlighted the importance of studying visitor behavior and providing engaging, comfortable, interactive environments to boost competitiveness.
Hala Al-Saleh, a specialist at Diriyah Art Futures, said museum career paths lacked clear classifications due to evolving roles. She described diverse specializations like exhibition curation, museum education, collections management, digital archiving, visual design, and technical and artistic tracks.
Al-Saleh also discussed Diriyah Art Futures' Emerging New Media Artists program, which empowers rising talents by combining art, research, and advanced technology with international collaboration.
She highlighted digital transformation's impact on museum operations and public engagement, which had created demand for specialized tech-savvy talent.
Maria Alam, former director of learning at Art Jameel, stressed strong motivation was essential for museum careers. She added that some hesitated to enter the sector despite the field's passion, continuous learning, and openness to cultural collections.
She pointed out the museum sector offered diverse careers with academic options, from diplomas to practical and theoretical training, allowing entry through specialized tracks.