2018-2019 Samuel H. Kress Fellowship in Objects Conservation Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG) is pleased to offer a 2018-2019 Samuel H. Kress Conservation Fellowship in Objects Conservation beginning in the fall of 2018, for the duration of 12 months. The Fellow will work with Hirshhorn conservators to develop a comprehensive preservation toolkit for complex rubber and elastomer objects at the Museum. The work encompasses preventive conservation, documentation, examination, analysis and research for these objects and will use tools such as The Museum System and the pan-Institutional Digital Asset Management system. The Fellow will build on existing research in the study of rubber and elastomer objects. They will have access to previous studies of Hirshhorn collection objects by former Fellows and staff. The Fellow will utilize published research by conservators and scientists on storage parameters that slow the degradation of artworks. An objective of this Fellowship will be to adapt previous research to the unique circumstances of composite objects-those in which elastomers can interact with various other organic and inorganic materials. The fellowship will involve assessing artworks of various media and learning from colleagues across the field, resulting in methodology and protocols that will be invaluable to major contemporary art collections. This fellowship will allow the successful applicant the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the working properties of plastics, and especially elastomers. Elastomeric objects within the collection span all specialties; as such, the fellow will work closely with the sculpture, variable media, and paper conservators at HMSG. The fellow will collaborate with the collections care and management department to develop housing and storage solutions, protocols for characterizing this media, and a module for monitoring objects. This project also includes the opportunity to travel to New York to with collections and conservation staff at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the types of composite materials that may be included in a sample set. Finally, the fellow will be an integral member of the conservation team, gaining experience in acquisition protocols, exhibition installation and object preparation, and participating in day-to-day activities in a contemporary art conservation lab. The Fellowship stipend is $32,000, and the Hirshhorn Museum is pleased to provide an additional $10,000 towards living expenses and research travel. Eligibility The successful candidate will be a recent graduate of a recognized training conservation program in the U.S. or Canada, or a U. S. citizen with a graduate degree in conservation from an overseas program. The candidate should have an interest in working with mixed media/composite materials. Please submit in a single PDF document the following application materials: a statement of interest, your CV with contact information for three professional or academic references, and three recent treatment reports or published papers. Reports should demonstrate the candidate's range and ability to approach and develop a treatment plan. Send the application package to Briana Feston-Brunet ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>), Variable Media Conservator, HMSG. The deadline for application materials is Friday, May 15, 2018. This Fellowship award is made through the generous support of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and is administered by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation. Sarah Stauderman, Director of Collections T 202.633.2731 | C 202.412.9705 hirshhorn.si.edu<http://hirshhorn.si.edu/> | facebook<https://www.facebook.com/hirshhorn> | twitter<https://twitter.com/hirshhorn> | instagram<https://www.instagram.com/hirshhorn> ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
