Conservation Associate, Textile Conservation End-Dated Metropolitan Museum of Art · Met Fifth Avenue

Full time About the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to

• 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

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. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:
The Department of Textile Conservation is responsible for the preservation, conservation, technical study, research, and installation of the Museum’s collection of approximately 36,000 textiles across twelve curatorial departments, stored primarily at the Antonio Ratti Textile Study and Storage Center. The expansive collection represents a broad range of textiles, including flat textiles, tapestries, carpets, embroideries, costumes, archaeological and three-dimensional fiber art as well as accessories from nearly all periods and cultures.

The Department sets guidelines for documentation, care, handling, display, and storage of textiles and plays a vital role in The Met’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The Department of Textile Conservation upholds the highest professional standards in the conservation of the Museum’s collection of textiles. GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES &

As Conservation Associate, you will undertake a wide range of conservation procedures on specific textiles, as assigned, from The Met’s Islamic Art Department collection, including those in preparation for the Jahangir exhibition (April 2027). Your primary focus will be assisting a Textile Conservator(s) in conservation treatment of an early seventeenth-century Mughal velvet carpet embellished with metal thread as well as conducting comprehensive research on traditional and innovative preservation techniques for its fragile metal-thread component.

You will assess the feasibility of removing tarnish and determine whether current methods are suitable for various textiles made from the same materials that exhibit similar issues.

Additionally, you will assist with installing the textiles for the exhibition, examining them, and writing condition reports. Ancillary conservation

• include, but are not limited to, laboratory maintenance and organizational tasks to be undertaken with other members of the department.
• This is a position with an established end-date or time frame.
• Time frame(s) will begin upon hire: 1 Year.
• PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES &

Examine, treat, and document assigned historic textiles from The Met’s Islamic Art collection in preparation for the Jahangir exhibition; devise conservation strategies for treatment and display. Work on exhibitions under the guidance of other conservators, which include examinations of works of art, writing condition, and participating in installations/deinstallations. Prepare chemical solutions, consolidants and adhesives for treatment according to established protocols, including obtaining production information and testing materials for suitability for treatment.

Research new products and obtain product information; keep abreast of current professional literature and innovations related to methods of cleaning metal thread and…