Conservator (Objects) – Smithsonian American Art Museum
Listing Start Date: June 18, 2025Expires: July 1, 2025n
Apply on the museum’s posting page.
OPEN DATE: 06/17/2025
CLOSING DATE: 07/01/2025
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, Not-To-Exceed 4-Years
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
Position sensitivity and risk: Low Risk
Open to all qualified applicants.
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
- Complete a Probationary Period.
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
- The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
- Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
OVERVIEW
This position is located within the Lunder Conservation Center (LCC), Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). SAAM is dedicated to collecting, understanding, and enjoying American art. The Museum celebrates the extraordinary creativity of artists whose works reflect the American experience and global connections. The Lunder Conservation Center is a fully visible lab showing how the SAAM conservators preserve cultural artifacts.
The primary purpose of the position is to provide care, preservation, and treatment Sculptural and three-dimensional objects within the museum collection. The position advises on preservation measures for exhibition, loan, and acquisition, conducts scientific and scholarly research, and collaborates on projects with SAAM staff.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
· Guides proper handling and consults on sculptural and three-dimensional objects transport care.
· Provides advice and statistics regarding preventative care and provides and oversees conservation of the SAAM collection of historic, invaluable, and iconic Sculptural and three-dimensional objects, according to current museum standards, utilizing best practices and cultural sensitivity.
· Creates and manages a preservation plan for Sculptural and three-dimensional objects, creates and updates collections handling and preservation care, collaborates to create optimum housing, proper storage, exhibition, and transport for Sculptural and three-dimensional objects.
· Schedules, coordinates, and manages projects and resources, and recommends contracted work that would better serve the project timeline.
· Works as part of a team to troubleshoot and mitigate environmental issues for collections on display and within storage.
· Provides expertise on the care, handling, and condition issues of Sculptural and three-dimensional object collections for accession, loans, exhibit, transport, and storage. Inspects individual collections, or surveys groups of collections and requests for loan, including archives as well as those being considered for acquisition.
· Conservation treatments are done in a timely manner to the most current museum standards and are done with sensitivity to the history and interpretation.
· Designs, proposes, documents, and completes complex, advanced conservation treatments, scientific research, and identifies fabrication materials on a wide variety of Sculptural and three-dimensional objects within the collection.
· Provides guidance and consultation to the exhibition team and exhibition fabrication teams to recommend specific climate parameters for the materials due to age, media, substrate materials, mounts, preservation and archival materials and adhesives and suggest specific exhibition fabrication materials due to the inherent nature of the collection to provide optimum care for the Sculptural and three-dimensional objects on display.
· Provides technical instruction based upon scientific evidence for loans and exhibition of the collections regarding permanent light degradation of materials and material culture and provides guidance to the light duration of exhibitions and cumulative light exposure for materials on display or loan.
· Reviews exhibit parameters and standard facility reports, and articulates findings to the operations, security, exhibition, and curatorial teams, provides expertise on display and storage mounts, reviews design drawings or case specifications for exhibit, display and loan and suggests conservation solutions.
· Provides Archivists and registrar colleagues with solutions and guidance on handling and treatment of collections as appropriate.
· Participates in active acquisition, loan, and rotation schedules.
· Provides scientific analysis and historical knowledge of materials to guide and council the curators in the acquisition and study of collections.
· Works with collections managers to assist with the planning of proper long-term storage of Sculptural and three-dimensional objects.
· Conducts technical material science research for all Sculptural and three-dimensional object materials within the museum’s collections, publishes findings in books and peer-reviewed journals and explores media processes, artist’s methods and generates scientific research on the properties of the materials.
· Conducts analytical and scientific investigations into the composition of materials and determines the methods of fabrication as well as the root causes for deterioration on complex and fragile artifacts.
· Communicates with a wide range of audiences on current conservation and preservation practices for three-dimensional artworks.
· Contracts matting and framing, conservation, transport, services for collection including generation of contract documents, performing market research, serving as a contracting officer’s representative (COR), overseeing performance and quality review of products and services.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Education (if positive education is required) and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a Master’s degree in the field of Objects Conservation (M.A) from an accredited program or 5-8 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience required for this position is as follows:
· Knowledge of the current procedures and accepted professional museum standards for conserving museum Sculptural and three-dimensional object collections, including appropriate treatment methods and materials, and long-term preventative care strategies.
· Knowledge of and skill to apply complex scientific and practical interventive procedures on fragile and delicate substrates, and paint mediums as well as passive measures to stabilize media and substrates of painted materials and/or slow their deterioration.
· Knowledge of paining artistic techniques to understand possible sources of deterioration and contamination to access collections and identify media and materials used in the creation of the Sculptural and three-dimensional object collection.
· Skill and knowledge in preparing clear, concise written examination, analytical, treatment proposals, final treatment reports, and other professional and appropriate documentation of museum collections and Sculptural and three-dimensional objects under the protocols, codes of ethics, cultural sensitivity, and standards of the museum conservation field (e.g. American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
· Operating knowledge of museum digital photographic standards, ultraviolet and infrared techniques.
· Ability to use digital photographic equipment to document artifacts in the conservation process.
· Skill to perform scientific analysis and research on historic and artistic methods and materials of fabrication using transmitted or reflected light microscopy, chemical testing, pH testing, colorimetry, and other analytical techniques to identify materials, levels of degradation, structure, and construction of collection and to evaluate the efficacy and appropriateness of conservation materials and procedures.
· Skill to use a centralized museum database and a digital asset management system (e.g., DAMS, TMS, Conservation Studio) to manage workflow and archive conservation reports and images.
· Skill to apply a wide range of framing techniques, and processes to create and teach staff customized archival supports for Sculptural and three-dimensional object collections on exhibit and/or in storage.
· Skill to advise on, and experience in, procedures for the safe exhibition and travel of cultural heritage materials.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
Join us in “Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery.”
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact weinwurmd@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures(https://www.si.edu/OEO/IndividualswithDisabilities).
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian’s EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo
About Smithsonian American Art Museum
Come join a team of dedicated staff at an exceptional time in Smithsonian history. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, comprised of 19 museums and galleries, nine research centers, 21 libraries, the National Zoological Park and more than 200 affiliate museum partners. The Smithsonian is dedicated to its founding mission, “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” and as such we use our resources to encourage curiosity, ignite wonder and spark the joy of learning.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and Renwick Gallery are home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Housed in two historic buildings in the heart of Washington, D.C., SAAM and Renwick are an integral part of the Smithsonian Institution. Our museums welcome more than 2 million visitors annually, including local school groups, regional residents, and national and international tourists.