Also called: Wax Museum Sculptor, Museum Figure Maker
Sculpts, paints and repairs life-size figures of famous people or ancient humans for wax museums and history exhibits, down to each hair.
You touch up a pop star's wax figure after a day of fans posing with it, repainting a smudged cheek and resetting a loose eyelash. In the studio you insert real hairs one at a time into a new figure's scalp with a needle. For a natural history museum you might sculpt an Ice Age hunter based on a real skull.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's or certificate in fine art, sculpture or special-effects makeup; trained on the job.
Ways in: 4-year college, Trade school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Fine Arts, Sculpture, Special Effects Makeup.
Growing about average. A tiny niche at wax museums, history museums and figure studios.
Medium risk for 10 years. 3D scanning and printing now rough out figures; hand painting, hair work and repairs that look alive stay human.
Classes: Art (sculpture), Anatomy & physiology, Theater makeup or tech crew.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.