Job Opportunity: Conservator of Objects - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Conservator of Objects - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is seeking a Conservator of Objects to join its conservation team. Working closely with curatorial and collections staff, the Conservator of Objects will oversee all activities associated with museum’s collection of over 25,000 objects. Leading a staff of two conservators and a pre-program outdoor sculpture technician, the Conservator of Objects will manage and participate in a wide range of activities, including treatment, loan preparations, exhibition activity, research, grant projects, preventive initiatives, courier trips, and outreach.
Title: Conservator, Objects
Department: Conservation
FLSA status: Exempt
Compensation: $72,901 - $82,036 per year + benefits
Reports to: Head of Conservation and Senior Paintings Conservator
The Museum’s collection of three-dimensional art represents diverse world cultures spanning 5,000 years of history, with particular strengths in Asian art, Native American art, African art, ceramics from all cultures, and modern sculpture. For instance, the Chinese art collection is one of the finest assemblages in the West, consisting of 7,000 works from every phase of China’s artistic activity. A 22-acre sculpture park surrounds the Museum, in which forty-five pieces of sculpture, including Claes Oldenburg’s site-specific Shuttlecocks, are displayed. For more details on the collection, please visit www.nelsonatkins.org.
Shortly after opening in 1933, the Nelson-Atkins committed to the preservation of the collection and hired a full-time paintings conservator in 1938. Today the conservation department includes objects, paper, photography, and paintings specialists focused on preservation, conservation, research and education. The conservators have access to equipment for digital photography, ultraviolet illumination, infrared reflectography, x-radiography, RTI imaging, handheld XRF, MA-XRF, and FTIR. Scientific research and analyses, undertaken in collaboration with our science advisor, is funded through a generous endowment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Qualified applicants must hold a graduate degree from a recognized conservation training program with a specialization in objects conservation. Applicants must possess excellent written and verbal communication, strong interpersonal skills, and prior experience managing and supporting staff.
For a full description of the position and application process, please visit the "Current Openings "page of the museum's website: Current Openings | Nelson Atkins. Please contact Mary Schafer (mschafer@nelson-atkins.org) with any questions.
