Conservation Apprentice, Photo Conservation [End-Dated]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Full-Time
$34
OfficeExecutive
About the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.
Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.
At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity.
Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.
Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.
Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.
Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity.
Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve.
The Conservation Apprentice in the Photograph & Time-Based Media Conservation Department at The Met offers an emerging conservator, who plans to pursue a degree in a conservation graduate program, the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an active and welcoming conservation lab. You will be introduced to the technical history of photography, deterioration processes, and preventive conservation approaches. This training will be put into immediate practice through examination, documentation, and preventive conservation of photographs in the newly acquired Artur Walther Collection gift. You will collaborate with conservators, collections managers, a collections specialist dedicated to the same project, technicians, photographers, and curators to assist with the intake of this acquisition of approximately 6,500 photographs. At the conclusion of this one-and-a-half-year position, you will have gained considerable conservation experience to strengthen their application for a conservation graduate program.
This is a position with an established end-date or time frame. Time frames will begin upon hire: 1.5 Years
Write and photograph documentation of works of art
Processing of digital images, including labeling and the addition of metadata
Engagement with ongoing conservation activities related to the examination, storage and exhibitions of works of art.
Participate in general lab maintenance including organizing workspaces, preparing materials and tools, preparing paste, cutting blotters and poly web sheets.
Conduct in gallery & storage preventative conservation recording, including, light levels, and climate records.
Process data entry into TMS Conservation Studio (The Museum System) database, including conservation reports, digital images, and analytical or other scholarly information
Handling framed and unframed artworks in off-site storage and on-site at the museum
Assist in the construction of conservation-quality housings
Other related duties as assigned
Undergraduate degree in a related field such as chemistry, physics, art history, studio art, or a combination thereof
Commitment to pursue a career in conservation
Knowledge of current imaging techniques is desirable but not essential
Basic familiarity with current research and developments in the field
Experience in a museum or private conservation practice is desirable, but not essential. The Apprentice will learn skills needed on the job
Excellent hand skills and attention to detail
Communication skills that facilitate teamwork and the ability to work across museum departments
An interest in sharing knowledge and skills through attending and presenting at conferences and collaborating on publications
Ability to work independently and in collaboration with a wide variety of Museum colleagues
Professional competence with basic computer programs, such as Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams, Adobe Creative Cloud, and a familiarity with or willingness to learn collection management systems, such as TMS and Conservation Studio
Work will be conducted between both the Met-5th Ave and offsite Art storage.
Willingness and ability to learn and implement new software as necessary
Knowledge of a language other than English is a plus but not required
Excellent organizational skills essential
A continuous drive to gain new skills and knowledge
Pay Rate: $34.00 / Hourly
The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.
Visa Sponsorship
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Location Requirements
At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.
Benefits Offerings
The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees.Note:Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.
We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.
The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.