David Booth Fellowship in Media Conservation at MoMA
About the job
September 2022 — August 2024
The Conservation Department at The Museum of Modern Art is pleased to offer a two-year fellowship in Media Conservation, starting September 2022. Working as part of the media conservation team, and responsible for the preservation of the audio, film, performance, software, and video-based artworks in the collection, the fellow will be involved in a variety of activities, including acquisition, exhibition, collection care, research, and projects related to media conservation.
The fellowship provides an opportunity to acquire additional training in media conservation in a museum setting. Besides developing and refining advanced techniques in media conservation, the fellow will have the opportunity to develop and carry out research projects to be disseminated or published online, at conferences, and in peer-reviewed journals. The fellow is strongly encouraged to present and publish the results of their research and projects.
Fellowship activities involve collaboration across departments at the Museum, including Audio Visual, Curatorial, Exhibition Planning and Administration, Information Technology, and Collection Management and Exhibition Registration.
The Museum of Modern Art is committed to nurturing the next generation of curators, art historians, conservators and other arts professionals. This Conservation Fellowship is part of a distinctive museum wide fellowship program that offers opportunities for training and development through immersion in the Museum’s departments, working alongside and mentored by experienced staff members. All fellows also participate in a core methods and practice program with MoMA staff and invited guests which explores object-based research and inquiry; public engagement in a museum context; and arts leadership and the role of cultural institutions.
Responsibilities
- Performs condition assessments and completes condition reports for time-based media artworks. Recommends and executes treatment of works of art and exhibition conditions in consultation with conservators, scientists, and curators. Keeps full documentation of artwork treatments.
- Assists in advising curators, registrars, and exhibition staff on the acquisition, exhibition and loan of time-based media artworks.
- Examines, interprets, and synthesizes installation requirements, previous installation documentation and other material pertaining to an artwork to fully describe the work in the museum’s collection management software The Museum System (TMS).
- Investigates, evaluates, and tests new materials and techniques used by contemporary artists. 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.
- Assists in supervising seasonal interns as requested.
- Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in conservation or related discipline, such as audiovisual archiving and preservation, computer science, film/television production, or information science, and familiarity with the AIC Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
- Recent graduates from a recognized conservation training program or closely related field (bachelor’s required, masters’ preferred); candidates with equivalent training will be considered. No more than three years past graduation.
- Excellent speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. Proficiency in additional language(s) is desirable.
- Proficiency with computing environments (Mac and Window) and relevant software for time-based media conservation, such as Non-linear Editors (Premiere, DaVinci, etc), the Adobe Creative Suite, command line tools (Mediainfo, FFmpeg, Exiftool, etc.), and other relevant software is required.
- Experience with the basics of film inspection/projection, analog video review/migration, and installing time-based media artworks is desirable.
- Fully vaccinated with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and/or the World Health Organization authorized vaccine
Reports to: The Agnes Gund Chief Conservator and Media Conservators
Stipend: $50,000 plus benefits and vacation, with $3,500 annually for research and travel.
Application Instructions
In addition to your resume, please submit a detailed letter of interest and include the name of three references; letters from references are not required. Do not include treatment reports in the application. Application deadline is March 14, 2022.
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.