Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Objects Conservation at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Job Title: Fellow

Job Status: Temporary – One Year

Location: San Francisco, CA

Salary: $26/hr

About the job

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are seeking a Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Objects Conservation to perform highly skilled work related to the conservation of works of art spanning a wide range of materials and cultures. The Fellow will work under the supervision of the Museum’s Objects Conservators and collaboratively across departments to gain experience in all aspects of conservation encountered in a large museum setting, including responsibilities related to treatment, exhibition, installation, loans, preventive care, documentation, and public programs.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Under moderate supervision, undertakes conservation of objects in the curatorial areas of Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Ancient Art, and Contemporary Art.
  2. Examines objects for questions concerning material identification, manufacture, deterioration, and intervention history.
  3. Prepares and archives visual and written documentation of treatments and research.
  4. Participates in preventive care of the collections and loan items during exhibition, storage and transport.
  5. Confers with curatorial, conservation, exhibitions and facilities staff on conservation and environmental issues. Assists with training museum staff in the care and safe handling of collections.
  6. May develop research projects and disseminate collections knowledge through presentations and publications.
  7. May act as a virtual or in-person courier of art in transit.
  8. Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and training: Master’s degree from an accredited conservation training program with a demonstrated concentration in objects.

Work Experience: 0-3 years postgraduate conservation work in a museum.

  • Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work cooperatively in a team
  • Willingness to bring flexibility, openness, and curiosity to your work
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills, ability to assess and prioritize work
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including fluency in English language (written and spoken)
  • Familiarity with software used in conservation and museum collections work

Working Conditions:

  • Physical Demands. Conservators are regularly required to move heavy objects, work on ladders or lift equipment, undertake treatments requiring repetitive movements, and to work for extended periods at computer stations.
  • Special Environmental Factors. The laboratory contains hazardous materials. Sharp tools and mechanical equipment are also in use. Conservators should be aware of safety concerns inherent in the use of such equipment and materials.

COMPENSATION

Hourly Rate of Pay: $26.00

This is a one-year long fellowship from September 2022 through September 2023. This position includes benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off and 401k.

Application Deadline: March 14, 2022

If you require an alternative method of completing this application please contact humanresources@famsf.org.

All new COFAM employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Please contact humanresources@famsf.org with any questions.

_____

COFAM is the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums and is the privately funded non-profit corporation which supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a department of the City and County of San Francisco.

COFAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all phases of employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are the city’s largest public arts institutions and comprise the de Young and the Legion of Honor museums. The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa. The Legion of Honor displays a collection of over 4,000 years of ancient and European art including Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a Beaux-Arts style building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.