Conservation Technician

Conservation Technician (Regular, Full-Time)

Conservation Center

Reporting to the Assistant Director, Conservation Center, the Conservation Technician will assists conservators and conservation scientists with various tasks related to exhibitions, preventive conservation, and preservation of LACMA’s permanent collection.

Responsibilities

For Paintings: 

• Responsible for framing paintings, and completing frame restorations and repairs.
• Utilizes carving and casting to create decorative elements.
• Prepares and refinishes metal and wood surfaces, including Gilding.  

For Textiles:

• Designs and fabricates custom mounts and supports for exhibition, packing, and transport. 

For Objects

• Assists conservators with minor treatment and the preparation and stabilization of artworks requested for exhibition and loan.  

For Science:

• Assists the Chemical Hygiene Officer with the monitoring of light, temperature, and RH to ensure compliance with loan contracts and the evaluation of commercially available display, storage, and construction materials for compatibility with artwork.

General Duties:

• Monitors and maintains exhibition gallery spaces including microclimates, dusting, and/or cleaning of framed artworks, objects, and plinths. May provide oversight for contract janitorial staff engaged in gallery maintenance.
• Participates in all aspects of lab maintenance, including housekeeping, annual inventories, and supply ordering. As a member of the Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC), learned the appropriate response to stabilize and protect cultural property. 
• May perform anoxia and freezing of artworks as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
• May act as a courier for art, domestically and internationally, overseeing the handling in transport and installation.

Benefits

• The expected hourly rate for this Los Angeles, CA based position is $30.00-$31.25, subject to change, and the position is eligible for LACMA’s comprehensive. benefits package, including pension plan.
• LACMA is committed to providing its employees with valuable and competitive benefits as a core part of a strong overall employee experience.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited fine art curriculum.
• Minimum of two years of experience in either a fine art museum or an equivalent combination of training and experience.  
• Experience handling fine art and knowledge of current conservation and preservation standards, practices, and ethics is preferred. 
• Ability to work independently and maintain effective relationships with other departmental staff and the public. 
• Basic computer skills (e.g. word processing) 
• Ability to work with collection management software (e.g. TMS).