Winterthur Museum
Post graduate fellowship in Objects Conservation
Fellowship description:
The Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is pleased to announce the creation of a new annual post-graduate fellowship in conservation. To ultimately be offered in a rotation through a variety of disciplines, the inaugural fellowship will be in objects conservation, to begin in the fall of 2016. The fellowship will be for the term of one year, with the potential of a one-year extension. Primarily supervised by Winterthur’s objects conservators, the fellow will also work with museum curators, registrars, the preventive team, and scientists to complete a project focused on the study, conservation, and preventive care of an important group of English and Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, or delftware, tiles dating primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Based on archaeological evidence, many of these tiles parallel examples popular in colonial America. Although tin-glazed floor tiles were also used during the earliest period, the collection at Winterthur is restricted to fireplace tiles. The tiles are installed in the House Rooms or are unmounted. The chosen fellow will consult museum records to build upon known information about H.F. du Pont’s collecting of these items and his intended use for them in Winterthur’s House Rooms. Both mounted and unmounted tiles exhibit condition issues that will be assessed during the fellowship, and appropriate avenues of treatment, including installation methods, will be explored.
The fellowship is structured to provide an emerging conservator with the broad skills and hands-on experience needed for a successful career in conservation. In addition to the fellow’s collaborative work within the museum on the tile collection, the fellow is strongly encouraged to interact with Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) students, faculty, and guest speakers by attending lectures and selected classes that support their professional growth. The chosen fellow will have access to Winterthur’s Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory, as well as the Winterthur and University of Delaware Libraries, and will assist in teaching a selected topic in the WUDPAC program. The fellow will also participate in outreach programs, as appropriate, including a monthly conservation clinic for the public, conservation tours for special interest groups and the public, and the creation of posts on the museum website.
The Winterthur Museum collections encompass a wide selection of fine and decorative arts made or used in America from the 17th through the mid-19th centuries, exhibited in house rooms, galleries and changing exhibits. The Library’s special collections extend from the mid-16th through mid-20th centuries and document American material culture through craftsmen’s records, technical manuals, trade catalogs, periodicals, design sources and literature on art, architecture, travel and domestic economy. The library also holds a significant collection of conservation literature.
Stipend
The stipend amount is $30,000 per year, plus benefits and $2000 for research and conference travel.
Eligibility
Requirements include completion of a masters-level degree in conservation from a recognized university program within the last three years. The successful candidate will exhibit a thorough understanding of objects conservation concepts and a strong interest in applying them in a complex institutional setting. The candidate should also exhibit foundation knowledge of conservation techniques and object fabrication technology and be able to apply this knowledge to the care, treatment and assessment of collection objects in their specialty.
Application
Candidate applications should be emailed to jobs@winterthur.org and include a curriculum vitae, a letter summarizing the applicant’s interests and intent in this fellowship, a transcript of graduate studies and a list of any other relevant course work, and contact information for three references. Application deadline: May 27, 2016. Please submit all materials in English. Please note: Finalists for the position will be asked at a later date to submit three sample reports (condition and treatment documentation, preventive conservation assessments, or research projects).