*** APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS PAST – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS POSITION ***
The Conservation Department at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is pleased to offer a two-year advanced Fellowship in the conservation of contemporary art, beginning fall 2018. In keeping with the nature of contemporary art, the Fellowship is designed to initiate collaboration between conservation disciplines, including paper, paintings, objects, photographs, and electronic media. For the 2018-2020 cycle, a specialization in paintings conservation is preferred.
In addition to performing technical examination and treatment on works in the museum’s collection, the Fellowship will give focus to the non-traditional methods that are employed in creating, and caring for, contemporary works of art. The conservation of contemporary art often requires highly collaborative working methods and engagement with living artists is a core aspect of SFMOMA’s practice. The Fellowship will also include activities such as exhibition planning, installation, and collection research. Since compiling information about artists’ materials, processes, and intentions may be among the most important contributions conservators of contemporary art can make toward future care of collections, effective methods for documenting these factors will be explored. The Fellow will undertake a research project related to contemporary art and will be encouraged to present a paper or publish the findings.
The applicant should have a graduate degree from a recognized conservation training program and enough experience to be able to work with a degree of independence in the studio. The ability to collaborate creatively with other conservators and museum staff members is essential.
Stipend: $47,500 plus benefits with $2000 annually for research and travel to conferences. Candidates should complete the online application and submit a curriculum vitae and a statement (no more than one page) as to the candidate’s interest in the Fellowship through the SFMOMA website, https://sfmoma.snaphire.com/home.
Applicants who are selected for an interview will be asked to submit two letters of recommendation and a brief portfolio. Digital portfolios are encouraged. Please direct any questions to Emily Hamilton, ehamilton@sfmoma.org. All applications must be received by January 15, 2018.
With the California wildfires coming close to the Getty Center, in the December 14, 2017 edition of The New York Times, John Schwartz looked at how the Getty was fairing (“Getty Stands Up to Flames” ). What he found was a complex built of fire-resistant materials, decorated with fire-resistant vegetation that is kept carefully pruned, as well as a system of irrigation pipes and sprinklers. A safe museum collection isn’t a lucky accident. It’s planned for.
SF Art Conservation seeks to recruit two full time objects/sculptures conservators. The positions are full time, and comes with health benefits and a retirement package. Focused on objects, sculpture and paintings conservation, the company has studios located in San Francisco and Oakland and serves a range of clients that include museums, City institutions and major private collections.
Responsibilities will include conservation assessment, treatment, and documentation of objects and sculpture, and some supervision of technicians and conservation assistants. The conservators will undertake individual treatments as well as be involved in team projects, and work with a broad range of materials from different periods, both in the studio and onsite. We have a particular focus on contemporary and modern objects, sculpture and public art.
The company prides itself on providing a creative, positive and supportive environment. Within a collaborative setting, we encourage employees to develop and expand their skills, and produce their best work.
A Master’s degree in Conservation and a minimum of five years for associate and two years for assistant of recent experience with objects and sculpture is required.
To promote awareness and a clearer understanding of different pathways into specializations that require particular training, The Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) is conducting a series of interviews with conservation professionals in these specialties. We kicked off the series with Chinese and Japanese Painting conservation, and now we are focusing on Electronic Media Conservation (EMG). These conservators work with time-based media, which is characterized by artwork with durational elements, such as slide, film, and video, analog or born-digital materials, performance, light or kinetic art, sound or software-based art. We’ve asked our interviewees to share some thoughts about their career paths, which we hope will inspire new conservation professionals and provide valuable insight into these areas of our professional field.
In the first interviews for this series, we spoke with emerging conservators starting in the early stages of their careers working in time-based media, which included Alexandra Nichols, Nicholas Kaplan, Brian Castriota and Yasmin Desssem. In this interview, we hear from Christine Frohnert, a conservator who graduated in 2003 from the University of Arts in Berne, Switzerland, where she majored in the Conservation of Modern Materials and Media. Prior to establishing a private practice for Time-based Media (TBM) with colleague Reinhard Bek, Christine served as chief conservator at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany for twelve years and as chair of the AIC Electronic Media Group from 2008-2012. In 2012, she was named the inaugural Judith Praska Distinguished Visiting Professor in Conservation and Technical Studies at the Conservation Center at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (CC/IFA/NYU), where she now serves as the Time-based Media Art Conservation Curriculum Development Program Coordinator.
Christine Frohnert and Reinhard Bek [Photo: Reinhard Bek]ECPN: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your current position.
Christine Frohnert (CF): I am a conservator of contemporary art with a specific focus on technology-based art. Reinhard Bek and I founded Bek & Frohnert LLC in NYC in 2012- a conservation studio in private practice specializing in the conservation of time-based media (TBM). We are both German, have been trained in Europe, worked in leading positions in museums, and have been involved in international research projects.
Bek and I focus on the conservation of artworks with a durational element in our practice—such as sound, moving image, performance, light, or movement, that unfolds to the viewer over time via slide, film, video, software, or the internet. Since the studio’s inauguration, we have responded to individual needs for both TBM conservation treatments and consulting requests. However, over the last several years, we have experienced a rising demand to serve as consultants for different U.S. institutions without time-based media conservators on staff, as well as for collectors and artists. As many TBM art collecting institutions are facing rapidly increasing needs to adequately acquire, preserve, exhibit and store TBM works, we are responding to this development and our work is more geared towards long-term collection care and the development of preservation plans, as well as education.
ECPN: How were you first introduced to conservation, what contributed to your decision to specialize in time-based media, and why has been your training pathway?
CF: As with most of my colleagues, I started conservation being exposed to more traditional media such as paintings and sculpture. About 20 years ago, I realized that technology-based artworks can be seriously harmed or lost without a new conservation specialty being established. I became fascinated with TBM, and I learned about the newly established program ‘Conservation of Modern Materials and Media’ at the University of Arts, Berne, Switzerland. I graduated from there in 2003.
ECPN: Are there any particular skills that you feel are important or unique to your discipline?
Christine Frohnert [Photo: Marlies Peller]CF: A complex range of skill sets are needed, which should be solidly grounded in the conceptual framework of contemporary art conservation as a whole. It requires knowledge in electrics/electronics and programming, and an in-depth understanding of each media category, technology and its preservation, documentation and digital preservation needs. As our profession is highly collaborative by nature, soft skills are equally important to collaborate with all the stakeholders in the institutions involved, as well as with affiliated external professionals such as engineers, computer scientists, and technicians. This is important when defining, communicating, and verifying goals with vendors.
As many museums recently formed or are currently forming ‘Media Teams’ in their respective institutions to tackle their individual TBM collections needs, we have witnessed a rapidly increasing need for skilled labor, dedicated TBM lab space, equipment, and the trustworthy storage and management of huge amounts of born-digital or digitized artworks.
ECPN: What are some of your current projects, research, or interests?
CF: Currently our recent projects include consultation with several institutions to analyze their TBM collections and develop custom-designed conservation strategies according to their individual collections needs and skill sets of staff. These consultations may include surveys, assistance with media acquisitions, exhibitions and artwork documentation, storage, and migration. Bringing in external expertise often provides the bridge that many museums and their TBM stakeholders do not find in-house or do not have the capacity to coordinate. This work helps to identify and structure these needs more clearly and often provides the basis for institutional development and the implementation of larger collection care projects.
Recent and current treatment-based activities range from analyzing the ‘mechanical’ programming of a light-based work, the conservation of a seven channel-video wall from 1998 consisting of 207 Cathode Ray Tube monitors, digitization of analog video, and the reverse engineering of custom-designed large format slide projectors, to name a few.
Cathode Ray Tube monitor [Photo: Marlies Peller]ECPN: In your opinion, what is an important need in your specialization?
CF: the most pressing need is education. Technology-based art is considered to be very sensitive to damage, loss, misinterpretation, and incorrect installation, due to its very specific and sensitive relationship to time, space, and concept. Damage or loss of a TBM work cannot be seen by simply examining the physical material and may not be immediately apparent unless the individual has received specialized training.
TBM conservation has been identified as a priority by many museums, collectors, and funding agencies. However, the educational opportunities are still limited, and there is currently no U.S. graduate program offering a degree in this specialty (but this will change soon!). As a result, a huge amount of our most recent cultural heritage is at risk, in an unknown condition, and/or not sufficiently integrated into museums’ missions of collecting, exhibition, conservation, research, and education.
However, thanks to the generous funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Conservation Center at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, started the TBM art conservation curriculum planning project in 2016.The new TBM specialization will be integrated within its current curriculum starting in fall 2018. This will be the first conservation program offering this specialty in the U.S. and the graduates will receive a dual degree: an MS in the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and an MA in the History of Art and Archaeology.
ECPN: Have you been involved in any advocacy, outreach, teaching or professional service roles in your specialization?
CF: During my time as EMG (Electronic Media Group) board Chair from 2008-2012, we received numerous request from the membership to offer continuing education opportunities, and in response EMG launched the conference series entitled TechFocus in 2010. The series is designed to provide hands-on guidance and systematic education on different media categories (TechFocus I: Caring for Video Art, Guggenheim Museum, NY, in 2010; TechFocus II: Caring for Film and Slide Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, 2012; TechFocus III: Caring for Software-based Art, Guggenheim Museum, NY, in 2015). In addition, the first periodical worldwide that focuses on TBM art conservation was launched by the EMG in 2012, The Electronic Media Review.
At the (CC/IFA/NYU) I have offered instruction in TBM conservation art in different capacities, including the course Art With A Plug: The Conservation of Artwork Containing Motion, Sound, Light, Moving Images and Interactivity (Fall 2012 and Spring 2015).
Several professional organizations and initiatives have created additional targeted educational opportunities and collaborations. However, despite all these good developments, further training is needed at the graduate level, as well as in continuing education for professionals, to address the fast-increasing demands of TBM conservation.
Under the leadership of Dr. Hannelore Roemich, Professor of Conservation Science and TBM program Director, I have also served as TBM Program Coordinator to assist in identifying skill sets and core competencies of TBM conservators that translate into the educational needs to develop a TBM curriculum. In the fall of 2016 the Conservation Center offered the course and public lecture series Topics in Time-based Media Art Conservation, which included ten lectures by leading art historians, artists, computer scientists, and conservators. These events were an important outreach component of the curriculum development project, and they created the opportunity to promote the field, foster the dialogue between TBM professionals, and build a community.
We are now organizing the upcoming symposium It’s About Time! Building a New Discipline: Time-based Media Art Conservation to be held in May 2018. The two-day symposium will provide a forum for educators, artists, art historians, museum curators and directors, collectors, gallerists, engineers, computer scientists, and conservators to promote TBM art conservation as a discipline on an international level and will conclude the TBM curriculum planning phase.
ECPN: Do you have any advice for prospective emerging conservators who would like to pursue this specialization?
Cathode Ray Tube monitor [Photo: Christine Frohnert]CF: While I am not comfortable issuing general advice, I can say that I personally appreciate working with students and colleagues in our field, and that this has shaped and enriched my professional life. If you are a strong communicator who is interested in the intersection of art and technology, art conservation, and art history– and maybe you even have a background in one or more of the related media fields–why don’t you join the EMG sessions at the AIC annual meetings and/or attend the upcoming NYU symposium to engage with the TBM community and find out if this specialty may be just the right fit for you?
ECPN: Please share any last thoughts or reflections.
CF: We currently see an extremely high demand for trained TBM conservators. This can be measured by the exponentially increasing job offers worldwide and the challenges many institutions face to find qualified candidates. So, it is safe to say that this is the best moment in time for becoming a TBM conservator in this country. If you are interested in pursuing a career in TBM conservation- check out the new TBM curriculum page at the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts at NYU.
FAIC has been an important resource for many institutions in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane season. Following deployment of a National Heritage Responder (NHR) team in Texas and site visits in Florida, this past week, a team of NHR members were able to provide assessments and training to institutions in Puerto Rico. Due to the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, response from a NHR team was necessarily delayed so resources could be directed to life and safety issues. While there are still significant infrastructure challenges facing residents, the recovery process now includes assessment and salvage of cultural heritage. FAIC had also provided remote support prior to this trip and will continue to work closely with national and local organizations throughout the recovery process.
Last week, our NHR team visited institutions across the library, archives, and museum field in Puerto Rico. Water damage and resulting mold growth were intensified by power outages and lack of air conditioning, and are the primary concerns at many institutions, less so structural damage due to wind. Mold is a health and safety issue, and NHR members helped provide instruction on proper handling of affected materials and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In the image above, NHR members evaluate a collection of Puerto Rican artists’ catalogs.
FAIC will continue to provide assistance and support recovery efforts. For more information on our emergency programs, visit our website, http://bit.ly/2okwlX1, and see previous updates on recent emergencies here: http://bit.ly/2AErjb5. We will also continue to provide updates via our social media and member publications.
Even as we continue to respond to Hurricane Maria, we are also monitoring the devastating wildfires in California. Institutions can reach NHR members via phone (202.661.8068) and email (nhr@conservation-us.org).
The New York Public Library seeks an experienced conservator to provide expert strategic and administrative leadership for its conservation operations. The Head of Conservation (officially titled Senior Manager, Conservation) will provide and promote a vision for the care and treatment of the Library’s special and general collections, developing and implementing plans to identify, prioritize, and address their conservation needs.
Under the direction of the Associate Director for Special Collections and Preservation Services (SCPS), the Head of Conservation oversees a team of 9 FTE, including five conservators. The Head of Conservation will collaborate closely with the other SCPS program heads and the Research Libraries curatorial staff to formulate strategies and procedures in support of special and general collection preservation and access. This will include especially close collaboration with the Senior Manager for Collection Management who directs collection risk management activities and is leading a collection-wide inventory and condition survey project that will begin in 2018.
Principal Responsibilities:
Directs the Barbara Goldsmith Conservation Laboratory and Collections Care Lab, both located at the NYPL’s Library Service Center in Long Island City
Manages budget, staff training and development, laboratory safety program (including chemical and hazardous waste management), supplies and equipment selection
Oversees and reports on all conservation activities undertaken by staff and contractors, including conservation treatments and documentation, condition surveys, technical analyses, special research projects, housing selection or creation, and preparation of collection items for consultation, exhibition, digitization, outgoing loan, and transport
Collaborates with Senior Manager for Collection Management in training the collection survey project team and interpreting the survey’s findings to inform and prioritize conservation and preservation initiatives
Works with the Registrar in evaluating and making recommendations for the outgoing loan of collections
Develops and maintains professional relationships with curatorial and many other Library stakeholders in establishing and advancing conservation goals
Leads hiring, coaches and evaluates staff, fostering collegiality, innovation, and collaboration among laboratory staff and other Library stakeholders. Supports and fosters professional development and engagement among staff
Collaborates with a variety of Library partners on exhibition preparation and installation, outgoing loans, collection processing, and policy and procedure development
Represents NYPL through participation in professional organizations, including presenting at conferences, developing seminars, and serving on professional committees
Initiates, develops, and contributes to grant proposals and other fundraising efforts aimed at specific conservation priorities or increasing overall program capacities
Identifies opportunities for scholarship and professional academic experience, such as supporting academic internships and fellowships. Ensures compliance with industry standards and best practices, in alignment with Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works (AIC)
Identifies and develops opportunities for conservation-based public outreach
Minimum Qualifications:
Master’s degree from a recognized conservation training program or ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library/Information Science with conservation certificate
Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in conservation
Demonstrated successful application of the American Institute for Conservation Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice
Advanced knowledge and demonstrated experience with complex conservation treatment of paper, books, or photographs
Demonstrated knowledge of the preservation and treatment of a wide range of formats
Demonstrated success managing projects, supervising and developing staff talent, and coordinating work across functional and reporting lines, including working with colleagues from other institutions, vendors, and other external organizations
Demonstrated ability to manage budgets and other resources
Record of professional engagement and contribution, such as research, publication, and involvement in pertinent professional and scholarly organizations
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills with individuals with different work styles
Familiarity with current preservation and conservation practices and initiatives for cultural heritage collections and audiences
Work Environment:
Expert knowledge of working in a conservation laboratory setting required
Position involves lifting and exposure to dust, mold, and other hazardous substances
Knowledge of usual parameters and compliance with an OSHA safety program is expected
Travel to all Research Libraries sites within NYC boroughs as required
![Christine Frohnert and Reinhard Bek [Photo: Reinhard Bek]](http://www.conservators-converse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/image-1.jpg)
![Christine Frohnert [Photo: Marlies Peller]](http://www.conservators-converse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_2175-e1527178447657.jpg)
![Cathode Ray Tube monitor [Photo: Christine Frohnert]](http://www.conservators-converse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/image-4.jpg)
