Conservator, Objects (Regular Full-time)
Conservation Center
With more than 137,000 objects dating from ancient times to the present, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the largest art museum in the western United States. A museum of international stature as well as a vital part of Southern California, LACMA shares its vast collections through exhibitions, public programs, and research facilities that attract over 1.5 million visitors annually. LACMA’s eight building complex is located on 20 acres in the heart of Los Angeles, halfway between the ocean and downtown. Learn more about the museum by exploring lacma.org.
Reporting to the Senior Conservator, the Objects Conservator will oversee the objects lab and supervises junior objects conservation staff, fellows and interns. This position works collaboratively with other staff members to manage departmental responsibilities related to the preservation and conservation of LACMA’s encyclopedic 3-D collections. Core functions include object examination and treatment; technical research, vetting acquisitions, exhibition and gallery installations, and loan processing. Within the department, the Objects Conservator will work closely with the Conservation Imaging Specialist, the Senior Scientist, mount makers, designers, and fabricators to implement these core functions. In addition, this position will collaborate with Curatorial, Registrars, Collections Management, and Exhibition & Design to achieve museum-wide strategic goals in exhibition, loan, gallery installations, and acquisitions.
Some duties include: under minimal supervision, provides high-level conservation of works of art in the Museum’s collection, objects on loan or objects related to special projects in adherence to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the American Institute for Conservation; undertakes research and scientific analysis to determine the composition and condition of objects to inform the development and implementation of appropriate treatment procedures and strategies for long term preservation; provides written and photographic documentation for all conservation treatments; contributes technical information for database entries, labels, publications, and authentication; manages the objects conservation studio and staff determining priorities, goals, and scheduling; assists in the building and management of a cost-effective budget; supervises and mentors junior staff, graduate fellows, interns and volunteers in the care, handling and treatment of objects and assists with their training and development as required; reviews and edits written reports for junior staff as necessary; consults on the packing of incoming and outgoing loans; collaborates with other members of the museum to provide designs for mounts and various display requirements, including materials testing and micro-climate requirements; acts as a courier, accompanying artworks to and from borrowing venues world-wide; participates in the improvement of department and museum-wide processes, procedures and communication; ensures best practices for preventative conservation and implementation in the use of materials chosen for exhibition, storage, and transit; undertakes condition reporting of incoming and outgoing loans for three-dimensional objects, evaluating potential loans with regard to treatment needs, environmental specifications and other special requirements; advises curators on technical issues related to potential acquisitions for the permanent collection; participates in all lab activities such as maintaining the cleanliness of the lab, keeping equipment maintained and up-to-date, and ordering supplies; stays up-to-date on current conservation practices; attends conservation conferences to deliver lectures related to current projects and contributes to the conservation literature with publications; responds to inquiries from colleagues, scholars, and the general public regarding conservation and conducts laboratory tours.
The qualified candidate will have a Master’s degree in art conservation from a recognized conservation-training program with a specialty in objects and a minimum of seven to ten years of related professional experience. Record of professional activities including publications, conference presentations, continuing education, outreach and advocacy is required. The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of objects conservation and preservation, gallery display and storage and knowledge of artists’ materials and techniques used to create three-dimensional artwork. Knowledge about emergency preparedness and integrated pest management is essential. Ability to multitask to meet deadlines, work simultaneously on multiple projects in a highly demanding and fast-paced environment while exercising sound judgment and decision making.
An Equal Opportunity Employer: It is the policy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to provide all persons with equal employment practices and opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran or marital status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
Please follow this link to apply: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=4223859a-1623-4bba-84f6-7f22b4ce3a61&jobId=251154&lang=en_US&source=CC3&ccId=19000101_000001