Preventive Conservator

Job Description

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is among America’s most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum’s campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects. The Walters Art Museum has a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated per the CDC’s definition of full vaccination.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educator and storyteller, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art to their lives. The Walters’ Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for visitors. The museum offers challenging and creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museum’s Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and share; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision-making.

Overview of Role

The Walters Art Museum is looking to fill the newly established position of Preventive Conservator to join the dynamic team of museum professionals that constitutes the Department of Conservation, Collections, and Technical Research. The Preventive Conservator will have a shared focus on the preservation, study, and installation of the Walters collection. The Preventive Conservator will lead department efforts in developing and implementing a preventive conservation program, which centralizes and builds upon existing policies and procedures. The Preventive Conservator ensures the preservation of the Walters collection by undertaking and coordinating the multifaceted work of collection maintenance, environmental monitoring, materials testing, collection re-housing, as well as managing the museum’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. The Preventive Conservator works collaboratively across the institution to implement best practices for exhibitions, installations, programs, and other museum events.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for coordinating and implementing the work of environmental monitoring and articulating and implementing assessment procedures for temperature, light and pollutants exposure.

• Responsible for overseeing the museum’s materials testing program.

• Acts as department point person for the museum’s IPM program.

• Assists other staff conservators in conducting condition surveys of the collections to prioritize the treatment and storage needs of the collection; assists in preparation of grant proposals to address priority preservation needs.

• Prepares, examines, treats, and documents works in the collections for acquisition, loan and exhibition as appropriate; provides recommendations on environmental conditions, matting and framing needs, crating and transit for works traveling outside the museum.

• In collaboration with lab heads, ensures the maintenance of department chemical inventory and SDS binders.

• Assists in coordination and implementation of training sessions for the Collections Emergency Operations Plan.

• Works with the museum’s Conservation Scientist to carry out technical studies and analysis as related to preventive conservation practice.

• Keeps abreast of 21st-century sustainable practices for museum environments and makes recommendations for improved practice.

• Mentors and trains fellows, interns, and volunteers.

• Works in the Conservation Window, our visitor-centered public engagement space.

• All other duties assigned.

Job Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in art conservation, with a concentration or demonstrated experience in preventive conservation required; 2-3 years of museum experience preferred

• A good grounding in conservation, scientific method, materials science, preventive conservation principles, and methodology; knowledge of ethical and practical professional standards

• Demonstrated excellence in conservation planning, documentation (in both writing and imaging); administrative, oral, and written communication skills

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and the Google suite

• Must be able to work sitting or standing for long periods of time

• Demonstrated ability to work and collaborate across departments

Annual Salary: $50,500-$57,500

The Walters Art Museum provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, prescription, vision, subsidized transportation and parking, museum membership, short-term disability, FSA (flexible spending account), 457b retirement, and free professional financial management counseling.

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The Walters Art Museum does not sponsor work visas.