Assistant or Associate Paper Conservator at the Brooklyn Museum

Job Title: Assistant or Associate Paper Conservator

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Salary: $62,000 – $78,000


Description

As a highly engaged member of the Conservation team, the Paper Conservator addresses the needs of paper, photographs, papyrus, and Asian screens and scrolls in our holdings and collections, under the direction of the Chief Conservator.

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate affectively with Curators and the Curatorial team to successfully preserve the museum’s collection works and fulfill the museum’s mission and goals.
  • Perform a full range of technical examination and treatment procedures on paper, photographs and papyri in our encyclopedic collection.
  • Conduct moderate treatments on Asian screens and scrolls
  • Assist the Museum’s maintainer/framer with framing needs and design new frame packages
  • Maintain accurate conservation records
  • Conduct archival and scientific research, and work with living artists to gather information about the creation, preservation, and display of artworks in the collection
  • Evaluate and process external loan requests
  • Oversee interns and assist them with conservation treatment and other related projects
  • Participate in the lab’s preventive conservation, education, and development activities
  • Other duties and tasks as assigned
  • 80% of this position will be spent on activities related to direct care as defined by the AAM.

Requirements

Qualifications:

  • Graduate degree in conservation from a recognized training program, or equivalent experience, with a specialization in works on paper
  • Thorough understanding of current best practices in the field of conservation, as well as the American Institute for Conservation’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice
  • Exemplary hand skills and experience with conservation treatments including hinge removal, tape removal, consolidation, adhesive reduction, surface cleaning, stain reduction, compensation for loss, and tear repair.
  • Demonstrated experience performing conservation documentation using digital photography, x-radiography, infrared reflectography, and multi band imaging (MBI), and familiarity with x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and paint cross-section analysis
  • Ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Team player, able to participate in the overall goals of our Conservation department and to work with Museum staff, including curators, art handlers, registrars and exhibition designers, in order to ensure the care of our collections

Start date: Immediately

Department: Conservation

Reports to: Chief Conservator

Position Type: Full-time

Grade & Salary: Grade I $62,000(Assistant level)/Grade G $78,000 (Associate level)

Union Status: Union – UAW Local 2110

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Schedule: 35 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Apply online

If you have questions about our online application system, please get in touch with us at job.application.questions@brooklynmuseum.org.

At the Brooklyn Museum, we value all types of experience. For us, a successful candidate has many of the qualities listed in our job postings, and the desire and capacity to learn the rest on the job. So if much, but not all, of a job posting describes you, then we welcome your application.