Assistant, Associate, or Objects Conservator; x2

Assistant, Associate, or Objects Conservator (x2)

Title:

Assistant, Associate, or Objects Conservator

Department:
Conservation

Reports to:

Director of Conservation

Status:
Full-time; exempt from overtime

Work location:

Onsite

Assistant Objects Conservator: $63–68,000

Associate Objects Conservator: $73–78,000

Objects Conservator: $82–97,000

Application review for these positions will begin on March 30, 2026, and continue until the positions are filled.

The Menil Collection is seeking to hire two objects conservators at the Assistant, Associate, or Conservator level to join the Department of Conservation.

The Objects Conservators are responsible for the care and preservation of objects, outdoor sculpture, installations, and time‑based media artwork in the care of the Menil Collection. The collection includes significant holdings of antiquities, art from Africa and Oceania, and modern and contemporary art. At all levels, the Objects Conservators will undertake research, preventive care, general maintenance, and conservation assessment and treatment.

All work must be performed in accordance with the American Institute for Conservation’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

Maintain objects on view and in storage by regularly monitoring the objects and their environments and performing regular cleaning.

Respond to incidents involving damage or potential damage to objects and communicate with departments across the museum to mitigate future risk.

Prepare objects for exhibition or loan through assessments, reports, and treatments. Schedule artwork movements, request photography, and coordinate mount making for objects as needed. Determine exhibition, handling, storage, and packing requirements for objects in the collection.

Assess the condition of objects acquired by the Menil Collection.

Serve as Conservation Department liaison for selected Menil Collection temporary exhibitions.

Assist with installations and de‑installations as needed.

Represent the Conservation Department on select internal committees and working groups.

Perform occasional domestic and international courier duties.

Investigate and advise on equipment purchases and provide input on the Objects Conservation budget.

Select non‑exhibition‑driven treatment or research projects in consultation with the Director of Conservation and Curators and create project budgets.

Engage with artists, studio assistants, or estates to document working practices, materials, and installation parameters for the Artists Documentation Program (ADP).

Attend professional meetings, give lectures, and publish papers.

Assist in the general maintenance and upkeep of the Conservation studio.

Participate in public outreach efforts, including the Menil Collection’s public and membership programming and social media.

Work with departments across the museum to continually improve procedures and policies that promote collaboration and consistency.

Depending upon experience level and expertise, additional duties may include:

Serve as an accountable project lead on significant projects such as research symposia, grants, or workshops.

Coordinate time‑based media working groups, and work collaboratively across museum departments to refine and implement workflows related to the care, documentation, registration, storage, and display of time‑based media.

Maintain time‑based media belonging to or on loan to the museum through regular fixity checks, research, and documentation.

Work collaboratively with Exhibition Design and Collections Management to procure, manage, and install time‑based media display equipment.

Research obsolescence risks for artworks and communicate with other museum departments as needed to stockpile supplies, address obsolescence, and coordinate decision‑making for long‑term care of time‑based media.

A Master’s degree from a recognized art conservation program with a specialization in Objects is required, along with substantial practical experience (see levels below) and the ability to develop and undertake innovative treatments.

Assistant Conservator: 0‑5 years post‑graduate experience.

Associate Conservator: 5‑8 years…