Category: Job, Internship, & Fellowship Postings

Membership Operations Assistant (Washington DC, USA)

Position with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
Arts association and its foundation seek a membership administrative and operations assistant. The ideal candidate will have a background in customer service, data entry, and an interest in the visual arts, museums and/or cultural heritage. We offer excellent benefits and a supportive work environment.

AIC seeks a membership operations assistant to work with the communications and membership team as well as support office tasks. This position reports to the Membership Manager.

Primary duties include:

  • Perform data entry for purchases, sponsorships, donations, and assist with financial reconciliation reports.
  • Work with other staff members on advertising and sponsorships, event registrations, and website editing.
  • Serve as a staff liaison to internal groups, including scheduling conference calls and helping to coordinate the organization’s budgeting process.
  • Provide excellent customer service to members and customers via telephone and email.
  • Administrative tasks and other duties as assigned.

Data entry involves entering checks and faxed/mailed/phoned-in credit card payments into our association management system (whether for membership applications, renewals, or event registrations), and running relevant reconciliation reports.

Working with publications, communications, and meeting staff members to track advertising and sponsorships includes ensuring that vendors receive timely communication and promised services are delivered.

Serving as a staff liaison to internal groups includes: keeping volunteer leadership on track with scheduling, budgeting, and managing online assets (such as our abstracts management system, meeting website, project management module, and communication tools). With more training, you will have room to expand your role in this area, but an outgoing persona and interest in the arts in general or conservation in particular will be helpful assets.

The Membership Operations Assistant will also manage the office support systems, including ordering office supplies, handling shared office equipment, and liaising with service providers.

Required Skills:

  • Attention to detail in data entry
  • Excellent customer service and time management skills
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite
  • Basic knowledge of website editing using a content management system (HTML or WYSIWYG)
  • Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
  • Ability to lift up to 30 pounds

Desired Experience: One to two years of experience, preferably in a similar role or environment. College degree required.

Salary range: $35,000 to $39,000

Excellent benefits include: health, dental, and vision, 401K, generous leave, and access to fitness facilities.

How to Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to work@conservation-us.org. Please send applications by February 16, 2018.

Firearms Conservation Technician 2018 Summer Internship (Harpers Ferry, WV, USA)

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the staff at the National Park Service’s Museum Conservation Services facility in Charles Town, WV is seeking a graduate student — who is currently enrolled in a recognized U.S. or Canadian conservation training program — for a paid summer internship assisting MCS staff conservators with the preservation of forty late 19th and early 20th century firearms from the Scotty’s Castle collections in Death Valley National Park.

This opportunity will benefit a first or second-year graduate student attending a master’s level program in art conservation who is looking to expand his or her existing skills in the conservation of historic objects.

This internship focuses on the unique problems associated with preserving composite mechanical-arts objects. Although this is a treatment-oriented internship, there will also be time allotted for relevant lab visits and research.

Location: Charles Town is just a few miles from historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The area offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation plus easy access to both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD.

Compensation:

  • Pay Rate: $17.00/hour
  • Benefits: Paid holidays, Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance

Timeline:

  • 8-week summer internship with flexible starting date in 2018.
  • Full-time, up to 40 hours per week

Qualifications:

  • Be currently enrolled in a U.S. or Canadian graduate-level museum conservation program.
  • Successfully complete a routine Department of Interior background investigation.
  • Must provide own transportation and have a valid state-issued driver’s license.
  • Must provide own laptop computer.
  • Eligible applicants must be a U.S. citizen, national, or legal permanent resident alien of the United States.

How to Apply: Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, including a statement of interest, resume or CV, and list of three academic or professional references to Augustine Sughrua, GBI Recruitment Coordinator. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. No phone inquiries, please.

The Great Basin Institute conforms to all laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, genetic information & testing, family and medical leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or otherwise oppose discrimination.

Graduate conservation/preservation internship (Ames, IA, USA)

 Iowa State University (ISU) Library Preservation Department

With a generous gift from the Lennox Foundation, the Lennox Foundation Endowment for Preservation Education, Training and Outreach was established to fund graduate level internships in library and archives preservation administration and conservation, and to support the educational outreach activities of the Iowa State University (ISU) preservation staff. The internship is offered by the ISU Library Preservation Department to provide graduate students with practical experience and exposure to preservation in an academic library environment.

This internship is intended to give current graduate students and recent graduates of preservation and conservation programs the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge of care and treatment of library and archives materials in an academic library. Interns will work in the ISU Library Preservation Department with guidance from the Head of Preservation and the Library Conservator.

Interns will learn about the overall functioning and organization of the Preservation Department:

  • Workflow of materials through the various units and tracking of materials
  • Condition assessment and treatment decision-making
  • Inter- and intra-departmental workflows and collaboration
  • Operations in digital and audio visual reformatting

In addition to learning about general operations of the department, interns will undertake and complete projects selected based on their interests and skills, and the needs and capabilities of the Department. Projects may include, but are not limited to, aspects of:

  • Condition survey and assessment of a particular collection
  • Re-housing collection materials
  • Preparation of Special Collections materials for exhibits and digital reformatting projects
  • Conservation treatment (conservator students will have the opportunity to propose treatment options for Special Collections materials, perform agreed upon treatments, and document condition and treatment)
  • Issues in digital collections and digital preservation
  • Survey of audiovisual materials
  • Development of metadata and digital program best practices and workflows
  • Development of preservation education, training and outreach resources
  • Disaster planning and response

Eligibility and Requirements:

  • Applicants must currently be graduate students, in good standing, in a program of library and archives preservation administration or conservation; or a recent graduate of such a program;
  • Applicants must have completed at least four preservation or conservation courses before the anticipated start date of this internship;
  • Applicants must commit to full-time employment as interns for the duration of the internship;
  • Internship must be completed within the calendar year;
  • At the end of the internship, the intern will be required to submit a final report or project;
  • Applicants must have student or working visas if not U.S. citizens.

The duration of the Lennox Foundation Internship is 3 months. The intern will be provided with a stipend of $3,200  and a furnished university apartment.

To apply for the Lennox Foundation Preservation and Conservation Internship please submit the following items:

  • Cover letter
  • Current resume
  • Contact information for two professional references (include address, phone number and e-mail address)
  • Statement of interest (include projects of interest)
  • Graduate program description including requirements and course descriptions. Please include an unofficial transcript indicating the courses you have completed.

The application materials can be emailed to: sbarron@iastate.edu

To guarantee consideration, apply by March 1, 2018

Information about Iowa State University

For information about the Ames community, see Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680 Beardshear Hall, 515 294-7612.

Pre-Program Internship in Rare Book and Library Materials Conservation (Seattle, WA, USA)

The University of Washington Libraries is offering a pre-program internship for an individual with a demonstrated interest in conservation.  Applicants are expected to be preparing for or enrolled in a graduate level conservation program in the United States.

This is a full-time (40 hours per week) summer program.  Duration is 10 weeks, with exact dates to be arranged between June and September 2018.  The University of Washington Libraries provides a $6,000 stipend.

Working under the supervision of the Senior Conservator, the intern will have the opportunity to perform a broad range of conservation treatments on rare books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, maps, and other unbound archival and special collections materials on paper and vellum.  The intern will develop skills in treatment decision-making, prepare condition and treatment reports with appropriate photo documentation, and gain additional experience in conservation treatment.

For additional information or to apply, see: www.lib.washington.edu/about/employment/internships/conservation.

To ensure consideration, applications should be received no later than Monday, February 19, 2018.

For all other questions, please contact Justin Johnson, Senior Conservator, jpjohn@uw.edu

Pre-program internship in Conservation (Washington DC, USA)

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is the only facility in the United States dedicated exclusively to the exhibition and preservation of Africa’s traditional and contemporary arts.  With generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the NMAfA is offering a paid pre-program internship for individuals preparing to apply to a graduate-level training program in art conservation.  As part of an initiative to promote diversity in the field and conservation training, the program will offer the opportunity to gain broad experience in multiple specialties, which may include objects, textiles, paper or paintings.

Learning objectives for interns include:

  • Learn to perform condition exams, carry out written and photographic documentation, treat artworks
  • Participate in preventive conservation activities
  • Gain: an understanding of materials and techniques; an introduction to treatment problem-solving; hands-on experience.
  • Develop a portfolio for application to graduate programs.

Desired Prerequisites: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with demonstrable academic commitment to fulfilling the pre-requisites in art history, studio art and chemistry for application to a conservation graduate program.

  • Term(s):  The 6-month, 40 hours/week internship will commence in Fall 2018
  • Stipend:  $600/week stipend plus additional funds to help defray the cost of travel to Washington DC.
  • Deadline:  March 1, 2018
  • Contact Information: Dana Moffett, moffettd@si.edu

Apply Through: Applicants must register and submit an online application via the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment system (SOLAA). After registering, sign onto the SOLAA system.  At the top of the screen, select “Start your Application”; Select “Internship” and “National Museum of African Art” from the drop-down program lists; choose “Pre-program Internship.”

Application requirements via SOLAA:

  • Short essay (no more than three pages total)
  1. A statement of your interest in this internship at the NMAfA and what you hope to gain from the experience.
  2. Please discuss the impact that a funded internship would have on you and your education.
  3. Provide a short biography describing your background, personal history, and interests.
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume
  • Undergraduate transcripts (unofficial)
  • Two letters of reference

For more details, visit: https://www.smithsonianofi.com/blog/2018/01/18/pre-program-internship-in-conservation-at-the-smithsonians-national-museum-of-african-art/.

Assistant Conservator for Archival Materials (Philadelphia, PA, USA) – PASSED DEADLINE

*** APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS PASSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS POSITION ***

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

Departmental Program Summary
The Conservation Department at the American Philosophical Society is responsible for the preventive care as well as conservation treatment for items found in its diverse special collections library. This growing collection currently includes over 13 million manuscript leaves, 275,000 volumes and bound periodicals, thousands of prints and maps, and large audio, video, and digital holdings. The department is currently composed of two full-time conservators, an annual grant-funded intern, and occasional volunteers.

Position Description
This entry level position aids in the preservation/ preventive conservation of the collections. This care includes treatment and documentation of individual items for a variety of materials such as manuscripts on paper, maps, ephemera, photographic materials, graphic works on paper, and manuscripts on parchment.

Responsibilities

  • Performs conservation treatment on primarily non-bound materials owned by the Library.
  • Provides written and photographic documentation in accordance with the AIC Code of Ethics (including examination, condition and treatment reports, and photographic documentation).
  • Participates and assists in a wide range of preservation/ preventive conservation activities including disaster preparedness and recovery, pest management, minor mold remediation, examination and preparation of materials for loan, and environmental monitoring.
  • Reviews and moves unprocessed boxed collections weighing up to 40 lbs.
  • Assists in the general maintenance and organization of the conservation laboratory.
  • Assists in the preparation and display of materials for exhibition.
  • Keeps abreast of current developments in the conservation field.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree from an accredited graduate training program in conservation, with Master’s in hand prior to start date.
  • Demonstrated working knowledge of conservation theory and practice.
  • Ability to wear a respirator and other personal protective equipment.
  • Demonstrated computer skills including use of Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Bridge/Photoshop.
  • Demonstrated mastery of written and oral communication.
  • Demonstrated success in a wide range of conservation treatment procedures and techniques.

The ideal candidate will have these additional qualities:

  • Is highly organized
  • An interest in outreach and education through lab tours and use of social media

The Society offers a competitive benefits package including health insurance, life insurance, long term disability, 403b with the employer match, and paid days off.

The American Philosophical Society is an EOE. Successful applicants will be asked to show proof that they can legally work in the U.S. Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2018.

To apply
Upload CV or resume, a cover letter explaining qualifications for and interest in the position and three references (not letters of reference, please) to http://apply.interfolio.com/48348.

About the Library
Founded in 1743, The American Philosophical Society’s library, located near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, is a leading international center for research in the history of American science and technology and its European roots, as well as early American history and culture. The Library houses over 13 million manuscript leaves, 275,000 volumes and bound periodicals, thousands of prints and maps, and large audio, video, and digital holdings. Outstanding historical collections and subject areas include the papers of Benjamin Franklin (14,000 letters and documents); Jefferson’s holograph of the Declaration of Independence; the American Revolution; the papers of Thomas Paine; 18th and 19th-century natural history; western scientific expeditions and travel including the original journals of Lewis and Clark; polar exploration; the papers of Charles Willson Peale, his family and descendants; American Indian languages; anthropology including the papers of Franz Boas; the papers of Charles Darwin and his forerunners, colleagues, critics, and successors; history of genetics, eugenics, and evolution; history of biochemistry, physiology, and biophysics; 20th-century medical research; and history of physics. The Library does not hold materials on philosophy in the modern sense.  More information about the Society and the APS Library can be found at www.amphilsoc.org.

Book and Paper Conservation Internship (London, UK) – Passed Deadline

*** APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS PASSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS POSITION ***

THE BRITISH LIBRARY

  • Position: Intern, Conservation of Exhibitions and Loans
  • Full time: 36 hours per week
  • Fixed Term: 9 months
  • Salary: GBP10.20 per hour (London Living Wage)

The British Library is pleased to offer a 9 month internship in Conservation. The internship is available to conservators who have graduated in the last 2 years, have limited work experience in conservation, and who wish to develop their hands on book and paper-based conservation, and assessment skills. The successful candidates will need to have a book or paper conservation qualification(s) (an MA in conservation would be desirable).

The internship will focus on how Conservation enables the safe display of it’s mainly book and paper-based cultural material. On completion, it is expected that the intern will have enhanced their ability to make recommendations for the safe display of collection items and developed an appreciation of the history of items and the sensitivity to cultural and religious issues.

For further information on the internship and the candidate minimum essential requirements, please see the full Internship Profile, available on the Library’s website.

Please email Mark Browne, Conservation Manager at mark.browne@bl.uk attaching the following:

  1. A letter of interest, which should include how the internship will benefit you and what skills and experience that you will bring to British Library reflecting the list of criteria for the internship stated in the Internship Profile.
  2. An up to date CV.
  3. Two or three examples of treatment records from your portfolio for items you have worked on.
  4. Name and contact details of two referees.
  5. A statement indicating that you are able to work in the UK. Official documentation will be required if you are short listed for interview.
  • Closing date: Sunday, February 28, 2018 — *NB: Please note that applications received after this date will not be considered.
  • Interview date: Week February 12-16, 2018.

If your application is short listed, you will be expected to present a conservation portfolio. In the case of applicants who are not able to present their portfolio in person, Skype interviews, with the aid of an electronic version of the applicants work can be substituted, along with letters of recommendation.

Introducing Untold Stories

I’m delighted and excited to introduce Untold Stories, a project aimed at pursuing an art conservation profession that represents and preserves a fuller spectrum of human cultural heritage. With generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Untold Stories’ mission is “to expand the existing ethical framework for art conservation by engaging new voices and hearing new stories that transform our understanding of the preservation of cultural heritage. We seek to recognize and conserve a broader range of cultural heritages; embrace a more diverse set of conservation practices and practitioners; and affirm the deep emotional connection between objects and sites of cultural heritage and the communities that claim them.”

Untold Stories will pursue this mission by engaging the voices of visionary leaders and thinkers within the arts, cultural heritage and allied fields whose work offers transformative approaches to storytelling, representation and preservation. Between 2018 and 2020, Untold Stories will hold public events at each of the next three annual meetings of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works featuring thought-provoking conversations with artists, arts administrators, activists, poets and scholars. All events will be professionally videographed and made available on the project site soon after they take place.

The 2018 AIC meeting in Houston will feature a panel discussion on “storytelling as preservation” with Deana Haggag, President and CEO of United States Artists, MacArthur award winning artist Rick Lowe, and queer migrant poet and cultural organizer and activist Sonia Guiñansaca. This event is free and will be held on Wednesday, May 30th, 2018, from 4:30 to 6pm at the conference hotel. (For more information, please visit https://www.untoldstories.live/houston-2018/). This event is also now listed in the AIC Program.

Another key component of Untold Stories is to create paid opportunities for emerging professionals to assume leadership roles in the development and implementation of the project’s programming. The project is currently seeking two assistants for 2018. Any interested conservation students or recent graduates of a program are invited to apply. The deadline for applications is January 20th.

Thank you all for your support, and see you in Houston!

Sanchita Balachandran
Project Director, Untold Stories

Pre-program Summer 2018 Internship, Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, OH, USA)

Isobel Rutherford pre-program conservation internship

Application deadline: March 2, 2018

The Cleveland Museum of Art is offering a summer internship opportunity for a pre-program student to work with the Objects Conservation department.

Projects will reflect the Museum’s upcoming programming in exhibitions, loans and acquisitions, including preparation and maintenance of the Yayoi Kusama “Infinity Mirrors” exhibition. The internship is for the duration of 8-10 weeks and is paid at $12/hour. Candidates should have completed their prerequisite coursework for admission into graduate programs, and should have previous experience working with conservators. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required. Please submit a letter of interest and e-portfolio. Selected candidates will be interviewed by telephone or Skype, or if possible, in person at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Applications must be submitted by March 2, 2018.

The intern must be authorized to work in the United States and must provide acceptable verification of such eligibility in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview, either in person of via Skype. A portfolio of conservation treatments and research should be presented by the candidate at the interview. At that time the candidate should be prepared to give a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please submit application here: https://recruiting.ultipro.com/CLE1004CMA/JobBoard/85cb4420-40e1-440b-9c73-ab703c4fa94d/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=8f47525b-18c8-4f43-8244-5de20e2cd225.

Please email bedelstein@clevelandart.org with any questions.

Preventive Conservation Volunteer Placement (London, UK)

The Conservation Department of the British Library is pleased to announce that they will be offering a Preventive Conservation Voluntary Placement for three months starting in spring 2018.

The placement is aimed at people working within the cultural heritage sector outside the UK with responsibility for collection care with limited opportunity to do work-based training in their own country and/or region.

The placement has been funded to promote key skills and techniques in preventive conservation. This includes developing best practice to ensure responsible stewardship through handling and use, environmental monitoring, disaster preparedness and integrated pest management. Through this, volunteers will gain the knowledge to identify and manage risks to collections.

The successful individual will be given a unique learning opportunity in a working national library with a view to applying the skills and knowledge obtained in their own field of work. Based with the Preventive Conservation Team they will also work alongside colleagues in Conservation, Conservation Science, curatorial departments, reading rooms and imaging services during their placement.

The volunteer will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses with a stipend of GBP8,000. Reasonable expenses will include reimbursement for flights, obtaining a visa, accommodation, and subsistence whilst in London.

Closing date for applications: Friday, January 12, 2018.

For further details of how you can apply please visit our website at: Preventive Conservation Voluntary Placement, or contact Sarah Hamlyn, Lead Preventive Conservator, Sarah.hamlyn@bl.uk.