The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is seeking a paper conservator to work with the conservation team within our offsite shared lab facility to provide a wide variety of conservation and preservation services to the archival, historic, cultural heritage and works of art on paper. The incumbent will work collaboratively and efficiently within very active exhibition, acquisition, rotation, and loans schedules to provide conservation support, consultation, and provide treatment to the collections while moving the care of the collection, the department, and the field forward with innovation, creativity, and cultural sensitivity.
In this position, you will:
- Provide knowledgeable expertise on the care, handling, and condition issues of paper-based collections for accessions, loans, exhibit, transport and storage. Perform condition assessments of individual collections, surveys groups of collections and requests for loan.
- Provide guidance and consultation to the exhibition and exhibition fabrication teams to recommend specific mounts, specific materials and climate parameters for materials. Occasionally travels to attend auctions, donors and collectors.
- Conduct technical research for all book, paper, and parchment materials within the museum’s collections.
- Perform condition assessments of individual collections, survey groups of collections and requests for loan, including archives as well as those being considered for acquisition. Examine, analyze, photograph and explain all findings in reports. Publish findings and explore paper-based processes and artist methods.
Applications must be completed on USAJobs.gov. The job posting will be open to applicants for the government standard period of two weeks: July 18, 2022 to July 29, 2022
Duty location: Landover, Maryland
Pay Plan: GS-1016-12, starting at $89,834 per year
Please review and apply through this link: USAJOBS: Book and Paper Conservator
