Internship: Post Graduate Objects Conservation, Toledo Museum of Art (Toledo, OH, USA)

  • Application deadline Jan. 6, 2016
  • AVAILABILITY: Winter, 2017

Since our founding in 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art has earned a global reputation for the quality of our collection, our innovative and extensive education programs, and our architecturally significant campus. More than 30,000 works of art represent American and European painting, the history of art in glass, ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, Asian and African art, medieval art, sculpture, decorative arts, graphic arts, and modern and contemporary art.
To accommodate the ever growing collection and demand for art education, the Museum campus has grown exponentially since its founding. From its humble first exhibition space in two rented rooms, the Museum has grown to cover approximately 36 acres with six buildings. The main Museum building interior contains four and a half acres of floor space on two levels. It has 45 galleries, 15 classroom studios, the 1,750-seat Peristyle concert hall, the 176-seat Little Theater lecture hall, the Resource Center for Educators, the Family Center, the Visual Resources Collection, the Museum Café, and the Museum Store featuring Collector’s Corner. The Glass Pavilion has five galleries, a glass study room, classrooms, two hotshops, a multipurpose GlasSalon, public and private courtyard space, and a coffee bar.
Thanks to the benevolence of its founders, as well as the continued support of its members, the Toledo Museum of Art remains a privately-endowed, non-profit institution and opens its collection to the public—free of charge—six days a week, 309 days a year.
SUMMARY
The Toledo Museum of art is pleased to offer an advanced objects conservation internship. The internship will be for one year and not to exceed two years. Working in the Collections area under the supervision of the Head of Conservation, the intern will be involved in all phases of conservation to the care for the museums extensive collection of three-dimensional art ranging from ancient to contemporary comprised of stone, metal, ceramics, organics, plastics, glass and painted surfaces. Working as part of a team which includes Curatorial, Exhibitions, and Registrar, the intern will be involved in all conservation activities such as condition reporting, environmental monitoring, preventive maintenance, treatment, documentation, and public outreach. The intern will be expected to expedite workflow in documentation and sharing of information between departments. Projects will be based on the intern’s level of experience.
TMA offers a competitive salary, travel stipend and comprehensive benefits package with paid time off.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, COMPETENCIES AND MUSEUM VALUES:

  • Master’s degree from a recognized Conservation program specializing in objects conservation. Experience with conservation of painted surfaces is helpful.
  • Previous work experience in a museum setting preferred
  • Experience with electronic database and word processing systems such as The Museum System, Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop, and Lightroom.
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Extreme attention to detail; innovative and self-motivated
  • Visual ability including color recognition, depth perception, reading and close-up work, working at heights, stooping, lifting, crouching, reaching, grasping, and bending for extended periods of time. Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
  • Visitor Engagement – Deep interest in and experience with customer service and visitor engagement; actively seeks information to understand and anticipate visitor expectations, and needs; Builds rapport and cooperative relationships; considers how actions or plans will affect customers; responds quickly to meet customer needs and resolve problems.
  • Innovation – An unrestrained approach to problem-solving that generates new solutions and applies existing knowledge/practices in new ways; should constantly be seeking ways to improve the Museums processes and offerings.
  • Initiative- The vision and ability to make substantial changes at the Museum; takes prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.
  • Adaptability – Ability to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends and occasional overnight travel; maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjust effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.

Application Process
Candidates should submit the following: Letter of interest, curriculum vitae, three work samples of examination reports and treatment records with photographs, and three professional references (including email, phone number and address).
Please submit materials via email to: Kathryn Robinson, HR Business Partner at jobs@toledomuseum.org.
The Toledo Museum of Art provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants. No person shall be discriminated against in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal or state statutes. The Museum is committed to maintaining an environment in which all employees are treated equitably and given the opportunity to achieve their full potential in the workplace.