Photography Conservator (IS-1001-12)

Application Deadline: 20 June 2024

Department: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Head Conservator

Compensation: $99,200 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: May 20, 2024

CLOSING DATE: June 20, 2024

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Not-To-Exceed Four (4) Years

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
  
  

Overview

This position is located within the Lunder Conservation Center (LCC), Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). SAAM is dedicated to collecting, understanding, and enjoying American art. The Museum celebrates the extraordinary creativity of artists whose works reflect the American experience and global connections. The Lunder Conservation Center is a fully visible lab showing how the SAAM conservators preserve cultural artifacts.

The primary purpose of the position is to provide conservation treatment, preservation, and collection care, on a wide variety of photographs, photographic processes, and photographic materials within the collection. The position advises on preservation measures for exhibition, loan, and acquisition, conducts scientific and scholarly research, and collaborates on projects with SAAM staff.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Designs, proposes, documents, and completes complex, advanced conservation treatments, scientific research including identifying fabrication materials on a wide variety of photographic materials within the collection.
• Provides expertise on the conservation, collection care, preservation, handling, and condition issues of photographic collections for accession, loans, exhibit, transport, and storage.
• Provides conservation guidelines and consultation to an exhibition team and exhibition fabrication teams to recommend specific climate parameters, display, and presentation protocols for the materials and display equipment used in exhibitions.
• Provides conservation expertise and guidance on photographic and photomechanical processes within the collection, including scientific analysis and material research when necessary to understand the material construction, artistic process, and preservation needs of the photographic works.
• Participates in active acquisition, loan, and rotation schedules through conservation assessments, examinations, condition reports, and conservation treatments.
• Conducts technical material science research for all photographic materials within the museum's collections including publishing findings in books and peer-reviewed journals.
• Provides guidance and expertise in preservation and conservation to staff and interns.
• Provides conservation guidelines for the proper handling, storage, and transportation of photographic artworks.
  
  

Qualification Requirements

Education (if positive education is required) and Experience: Example: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor's degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university and/or 3-5 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience required for this position is as follows:

• Ability to create and manage a preservation plan for modern inkjet and pigment prints, digital-born photographic prints, including creating and updating collections handling standard operating procedures for collection and cold storage of prints and negatives.
• Ability to schedule, coordinate, and manage projects and resources, and to recommend contracting out work that would better serve the project timeline.
• Ability to inspect individual collections or surveys groups of collections, requests for loan, including archives as well as those being considered for acquisition.
• Ability to provide technical instruction based upon scientific evidence for loans and exhibition of the collections regarding permanent light degradation of materials and material culture and provides guidance to the light duration of exhibitions and cumulative light exposure for materials on display or loan.
• Ability to provide expertise and guidance on photographic and photomechanical processes within the collection to ensure their preservation is held to the highest standards.
• Ability to provide scientific analysis and historical knowledge of materials to guide and council the curators in the acquisition and study of collections.
• Ability to conduct analytical and scientific investigations into the composition of materials and determine the methods of fabrication as well as the root causes for deterioration on complex and fragile artifacts.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences on current conservation and preservation practices for photographic materials.
  
  

Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact Dan Weinwurm at weinwurmd@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian's Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: www.si.edu/oeema.