What Does an Exhibit Specialist Do?
A museum exhibition takes more work than most visitors realize and involves more than just hanging objects on walls. The cases, mounts and lights they walk past may look simple, but more importantly they keep fragile objects safe and lead people through a story. Exhibit specialists design, build and install all of it.
Also known as: Senior Exhibit Specialist
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Designer, Display Coordinator, Exhibit Coordinator, Exhibit Designer, Exhibit Preparator, Historical Society Window Dresser, Installations Designer, Projection Designer.
Exhibit Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an exhibit specialist include:
- Design exhibit layouts, cases and platforms from curators' object lists and floor plans.
- Build walls, casework, pedestals and mounts in the shop from wood, metal, acrylic and fabric.
- Produce scale drawings and 3D models in SketchUp or AutoCAD for review and fabrication.
- Fabricate custom mounts that hold objects securely without stressing or marking them.
- Print, mount and install graphic panels, labels and vinyl lettering.
- Plan and focus gallery lighting, keeping light levels safe for fragile materials.
- Assemble and take down exhibitions on schedule, moving walls, cases and platforms into place.
- Maintain interactive displays and touchscreens; repair worn parts and failed electronics.
- Estimate materials and costs for each project and order supplies within budget.
- Operate table saws, routers and CNC equipment safely, and keep the workshop in order.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an exhibit specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Woodworking and metalworking
- SketchUp, AutoCAD or Vectorworks
- Adobe Illustrator for exhibit graphics
- Mount making and safe object handling
- Gallery lighting and light limits for fragile objects
- Basic electrical and electronics repair
- Material estimating and budgeting
- Problem solving against opening deadlines
Education and Training
Entry is open to graduates of several fields, as museums are interested in candidates from a range of industrial design, fine arts and theater backgrounds. Getting in without a bachelor's degree might be possible for skilled carpenters, but graduates with a portfolio of built exhibits will have a head start over other applicants. With experience, you could progress to senior exhibit specialist or exhibits manager.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $52,830 - $104,030 per year, with a median of $75,240.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Set and Exhibit Designers.
BLS projects employment of set and exhibit designers, the group that covers this job, to grow about 1 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,200 openings a year. That is slow growth, so most openings come from people retiring or changing jobs. It is the all-rounders, people who can design, build, wire and light a show, who tend to be hired first.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Set and exhibit designers.
Exhibit Specialist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $41,750 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $52,830 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $75,240 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $104,030 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $135,410 |
Highest-Paying States for Exhibit Specialists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($105,030), Maryland ($80,540), Washington ($77,230), District of Columbia ($76,900), New Jersey ($76,380). Pay is lowest in Arizona ($46,280), Utah ($44,540), Arkansas ($38,700).
Median pay in all 26 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Arizona | $46,280 |
| Arkansas | $38,700 |
| California | $105,030 |
| Connecticut | $60,680 |
| District of Columbia | $76,900 |
| Florida | $60,750 |
| Georgia | $67,210 |
| Indiana | $72,200 |
| Iowa | $50,640 |
| Kentucky | $53,260 |
| Maryland | $80,540 |
| Massachusetts | $74,540 |
| Michigan | $50,910 |
| Minnesota | $66,090 |
| Missouri | $51,610 |
| Nebraska | $73,980 |
| Nevada | $50,860 |
| New Jersey | $76,380 |
| North Carolina | $49,410 |
| Ohio | $54,560 |
| Oregon | $62,770 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,670 |
| Texas | $56,930 |
| Utah | $44,540 |
| Virginia | $58,650 |
| Washington | $77,230 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as set and exhibit designers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 95% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 90% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 86% use email every day
- 81% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 62% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 57% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 48% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 33% |
| Master's degree | 33% |
| Some college | 10% |
| Post-master's certificate | 10% |
Tools and Software Exhibit Specialists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy creative work and self-expression as well as leading, persuading and making business decisions.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Operations Analysis, Time Management.
Knowledge areas used most: Fine Arts, Design, Computers and Electronics, Building and Construction, History and Archeology.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 27-1027.00 (Set and Exhibit Designers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.