Pre-Program (unpaid) and/or Post Graduate Conservation (with grant stipend) ~ Coordinated Housing Provided
Winter/Spring and Fall/Winter Semesters 2020-2021
6 to 9 months U.S. Citizens/Residents - *3 months International Applicants
28 to 35 hours per week
Projects May Include: Oil and Acrylic Paintings, Public Mural Projects, Archive Collections, Sculpture, Watercolors, Prints, European Tapestry, Needlepoint, Asian and Oriental embroideries, haute couture costume, dress and textile collections, ethnographic weavings and objects, works on paper, rare books, ceramics, porcelain, wooden objects, Native American and Ethnographic objects, Japanese painted silk screens, Tapa cloths, quilts, Tibetan Thangka, rare silk flags, and other ephemera, among many others.
*We will also be working on completing a major longterm and ongoing historic drapery conservation project funded by
the Nation Historic Trust for the Filoli Estate.
Applied Skills to be Instructed: micro-hepa vacuuming, hand sewn repairs, linings and mounts, object cleaning, in-fills, stabilization, consolidation, CO2 anoxia encapsulation, ATP bioluminescence testing, dry thermal vacuum freezer treatments, integrated pest management, environmental monitoring, research, condition reports, photo documentation, object cataloging, material and fiber analysis, working with custom formulated non-aqueous gels, MCP - modular cleaning program, solvents and adhesives, archival materials and custom fabrication of housing, boxes and much more…
Our studios also use the FLIR infrared thermal camera for technical analysis, the ARMscope stereo microscope for cross-section pigment sample testing, and UV digital microscope camera for other analytical surveying.
Applicants must either be currently enrolled in a program leading to a diploma or degree in a conservation or relevant museum collections care field, have completed appropriate studies within the past three years, or are considered "Pre-Program" continuing students pursuing a graduate conservation program, but need to accrue the needed 1000+ hours of experience prior to applying—in which case, this is a great place to accumulate some of those 100’s requisite hours.
Previous internship experience in conservation and/or museum collection care and handling is preferred, this is not a first time internship, but an intermediate to advance experience placement internship. Many of our prior interns have gone on to wonderful successes in this highly competitive and technically complex field.
For Post Graduate applicants, this is a wonderful situation to find some initial grounding experience coming out of your program experience and into practical real world application and treatments, as well as, interfacing with clients and project management skills.
Applicants may send a letter of intent and interest, digital portfolio, one letter of recommendation and CV
Qualified candidates will be requested for in person interviews, or over Skype.