Tag: Museum of Modern Art

The David Booth Fellowship in Painting Conservation (New York, NY, USA) – PASSED DEADLINE

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

September 2018 – August 2020

The David Booth Conservation Department at The Museum of Modern Art is pleased to offer a two-year fellowship in painting conservation, starting September 2018. The fellowship provides an opportunity to acquire comprehensive training in paintings preservation, conservation, and restoration in a museum setting. Working as part of the paintings conservation team, the fellow will assist conservators with all facets of the preservation, conservation, and restoration of paintings, including acquisition, exhibition, treatment, collection care, and research. Fellowship activities will involve collaboration with Museum departments, including curatorial, Exhibition Design and Production, Exhibition Planning and Administration, Information Technology, and Collection Management and Exhibition Registration. Besides developing and refining advanced techniques in paintings conservation, the fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with MoMA’s conservation scientists; to develop and carry out research projects; and have their disseminated or published through blogs, conferences, and peer-reviewed journals.

REQUIREMENTS

Education
Graduate from a recognized training program; candidates with equivalent training will be considered.

Experience
Internship in the treatment of paintings. No more than three years experience past graduation.

Qualifications

  • Examination and treatment of paintings at an advanced intern level.
  • Some experience with treatment of modern and contemporary works preferable.
  • Familiarity with condition digital-imaging documentation, including ultra-violet, infrared, and photomicrography.
  • Use of analytic instruments, including microscopes, X-ray equipment, and other instruments for the examination and technical analysis of works of art and their constituent parts.
  • Excellent speaking, reading, and writing skills in English.
  • Proficiency with computer software, including image editing and Adobe Photoshop.

Responsibilities

  • Conducts examinations and writes condition reports on works of art. Recommends and executes treatment of works of art and their optimal storage and exhibition conditions in consultation with paintings conservators, scientists, and other higher conservator titles, and curators. Records full photographic and written documentation of original condition and all stages of treatment of works of art.
  • Assists in advising curatorial, registration, and exhibitions staff on conservation requirements to ensure protection of works of art during exhibition, packing, and shipping. Assists in advising curators on the condition of works of art as related to exhibition, loans, and acquisition.
  • Examines and interprets the physical structure of works of art and liaises with scientists on the interpretation of scientific data.
  • Participates in courier trips of loaned works as required.
  • Assists in supervising seasonal (three-month) interns and conservation program trainees as requested.
  • Investigates, evaluates, and tests new materials used by contemporary artists. Researches, develops, and tests materials and techniques for conservation use. Keeps abreast of new technical and material developments in the art historical and conservation fields through attendance at meetings and readings of conservation, technical, and art historical literature.
  • Actively produces blogs posts and publishes research, and is encouraged to speak at related professional conferences.
  • Adheres to the AIC Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
  • Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

REPORTS TO: Painting Conservators and other higher conservator titles

Stipend: $45,000 plus benefits and vacation, with $3,775 for research and travel.

Candidates must submit a statement of interest, a current CV, and a list of references to jobs@moma.org no later than March 1, 2018. Please reference the position title in the subject line.

The Museum of Modern Art is an equal opportunity employer and considers all candidates for employment regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, creed, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or political affiliation.

The Museum of Modern Art’s Conservation Fellowship Initiative is made possible through the David Booth Conservation Center Endowment Fund.

45th Annual Meeting – Objects Session, June 1, “The 40 Year Old Restoration of Bruce Conner’s CHILD” by Megan Randall

In this talk, Megan Randall, Objects Fellow at the Museum of Modern Art, tells the unique treatment history of Bruce Conner’s Child from 1976 – 2016. Bruce Conner was an artist who worked across media, from collage and sculpture to painting and drawing. Created in 1959, his sculpture Child is a corpse-like figure made of casting wax and shaped by hand. He sits in a high chair and is bandaged with stocking fabric and a belt around his waist, with additional wax painted on the surface. Child was made in response to the execution of Caryl Chessman, which Conner believed to be a social injustice.

Megan structured her discussion to be a timeline of Child’s complex exhibition and treatment history and described the numerous events that resulted in the figure’s condition when she first arrived at MoMA as a fellow in 2015. The sculpture was first exhibited in 1960 and received great attention from the public. It continued to gain exposure at galleries, in Conner’s one-man show, and even in public protests against police brutality and in 1970, was acquired by MoMA. The work was treated in 1976 in which the cheeks and head needed to be stabilized and an arm mended. Then, later that year, it was exhibited at SFMOMA, where Conner was disappointed to see its state significantly worsened. At this point, there had been no direct contact between MoMA and Conner, but he referenced the Geoffrey Clements photograph of how Child was originally positioned. It was clear that the shape of the figure had been badly deformed. The full figure had slumped forward, the mouth was now closed rather than open, and the legs had lowered and were in complete contact with the chair. However, it continued to tour at Hirschhorn Museum in 1988 and then at the Whitney in 1996, where Conner saw it once more and horrified, requested that it immediately be taken off view.

After several correspondences between MoMA and Conner, with the artist’s input on what needed to be adjusted, it was decided that a treatment of Child was necessary. Much of the issues with the positioning of the body was a result of the failing handmade hardware and joints and during an unfortunate turn of events during treatment, the body fell apart. Luckily all the original material was maintained, and the challenge was in terms of its assemblage. Sadly, Conner passed away in 2008.

In 2015, Megan Randall and Associate Objects Conservator at MoMA, Roger Griffith, started the journey to restore the exhausted Child. They began with documentation of the figure including imaging, photogrammetry to observe the three-dimensional positioning, and radiography to get a sense of the joining materials and the thickness of the wax. Child had been a victim of transport, handling, and failing of structural elements between its conception in 1960-2000.e treatment aimed to return the figure and vintage nylon stocking to their original orientation and stabilize the materials, while using images from the archive and Conner’s studio as reference.

Using a Go-Pro to document the process, the conservators carefully disassembled the figure, photographing each individual section and even had a carpenter create a replica of the high chair that Child sat on so that they could build up the figure away from the original nylon and wood. Loose sections were consolidated and the wax that had deformed was readjusted with heat and pressure. The next challenge was to create an armature that would help support the weight of the wax, as this was one of the original causes of the figure’s collapse. After months of testing, Megan and Roger decided to use polycaprolactone (PCL), an orthopedic thermoplastic polyester resin. It suited this project as it is a conformable, adjustable material that can withstand travel and is long lasting. Altraform was added into the armature and 3D Light Mesh was used to support weight from above as well. These materials were also Oddy tested and deemed safe for conservation practice.

After the figure was positioned back together, Megan and Roger had to tackle the vintage nylon stockings. Luckily, most could be repositioned safely, but three pieces needed replacements, for which Roger ordered online and surprisingly, toned with coffee and tea, to obtain the distressed appearance that gave Child its haunting effect. Finally, Child was back in its original orientation and ready to be shown at the Bruce Conner Retrospective at MoMA, and then subsequently, SFMOMA and the Reina Sofia.

After treatment photographs were taken to capture the armature inside each section and several techniques were used for recording its position. Photogrammetry was captured once again to compare future sets for monitoring any potential deformations or movements and radiography was done in order to monitor if the armature moved in the future as well as if the figure shifted in any way. A custom crate was created for safe travel to its next two immediate exhibition spaces and it just returned safely to MoMA, much to the happiness of the conservators. Ultimately, Bruce Conner’s Child has a complicated and extensive history, including it falling apart, but after countless hours of testing and treatment by conservators at MoMA, the figure was returned to its intended appearance and we as visitors had the pleasure of viewing its haunting and delicate beauty.