Exhibit Designer - Museum jobs in Chicago, IL

Our Mission: Since the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, our organization has aimed to connect people to the natural environment and human history.

This is a fixed-term position in the Anthropology Department of the Field Museum, reporting to the Senior Conservator. The successful applicant will be an Objects Conservator and will form part of a small team (currently two Assistant Conservators, ultimately expanding to three Assistant Conservators and two Conservation Technicians) who will provide conservation services for: 1) Deinstalling two of the museum’s existing permanent exhibits (Ancient Egypt, African Halls); and 2) the installation of new permanent exhibit on Africa.

This is a term position ending on September 30, 2027.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct condition assessment, documentation, and treatment of archaeological and social history collection items and loans. Assessment and documentation will require written and photographic documentation, and may also involve heavy metal testing and more advanced imaging and analytical techniques including multiband photography, photogrammetry, structured light scanning, digital x-radiography, pXRF, and/or CT scanning. Some collections condition survey work is anticipated. Applicants should note that the work will involve handling, documenting, and treating human remains and sacred items
• Collaborate with African community representatives to understand materials and methods of manufacture, the cultural significance of specific collections, and to determine appropriate and acceptable practices for those collections’ care
• Where advice from communities of origin conflicts with established museum practice, seek to privilege the advice from the community of origin and incorporate it into museum practice
• Ensure documentation, images, analyses, and collaborative discussions are archived both as hard copies and as digital copies in the Collections Management System (EMu)
• Assist with specifying and constructing display and storage equipment and environmental control measures, as needed.
• Assist with performing Oddy tests of proposed exhibition materials.
• Assist in supervising volunteers, interns, and conservation assistants as needed
• Assist with incoming and outgoing loans, as assigned. Some off-site travel may be required
• Conduct integrated pest management (IPM) monitoring and gallery walk-throughs of assigned areas
• Share skills, outcomes, problems, and solutions with others through discussion, short classes, and presentations, as assigned
• Demonstrate working practices that are safe for yourself, those around you, and for collections items. Show informed adherence to all appropriate regulations regarding hazardous materials and the appropriate handling of, and access to, sacred or culturally sensitive materials and ancestral remains
• Participate in maintaining the conservation laboratories: researching, specifying, procuring, maintaining, and ensuring the safe storage and handling of collections, equipment, and supplies.
• Assist in keeping collection storage, workspace, equipment, and supplies clean and well organized
• Participate in weekly and monthly departmental and project meetings
• Contribute to a positive work environment by demonstrating collegiality and inclusiveness in interactions with colleagues, external partners, and the public

Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in conservation specializing in objects from an accredited graduate conservation program, or an undergraduate degree in conservation together with two year’s post-graduation experience, is required
• Previous experience with any combination of wood, painted surfaces, textiles, stone, human remains, and rigging and supporting heavy objects would be a plus
• Demonstrable safe working practices in conservation labs and museum galleries
• Demonstrable good written and spoken communication skills.
• Demonstrable good collaboration with other conservators, collections staff, and museum colleagues. Previous experience working collaboratively with communities of origin on the treatment, display, and storage of museum collections would be a plus.
• Previous experience treating Egyptian archaeological material, and/or African social history material, is a plus
• Extended use of one or more of the more advanced techniques mentioned in the first paragraph of the duties and responsibilities statement would be a plus (but we will train you in most of these techniques if you don’t already know how, and if you already know how you will get even more experience.)
• Familiarity with Google Workspace, and the KE-EMu collections management system are both desirable. (Again, we will train you in these tools if you don’t already have experience; if you already know how you, then will get even more experience.)
• Demonstrated knowledge of safety precautions to create a safe working environment for self and others; demonstrated ability to work safely with chemicals
• Demonstrated ability in chemical spot testing.
• Demonstrated experience in at least one advanced imaging or analysis technique. Examples might include (but are not limited to): x-radiography, PLM, pXRF, MFT, FTIR, multiband imaging, 3D imaging, or SEM-EDS
• Demonstrated ability in, or the ability to learn to work effectively in, the following technologies:

1. Windows operating system
2. Google Workspace
3. Dropbox Paper
4. MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
5. Digital image capture, processing, and output to AIC conservation documentation standards. (refer to the “Guide To Digital Photography & Conservation Documentation” 3rd edn., for typical workflows)

• Searching, data entry, and reporting in at least one Collections Management System; experience with KE-EMu collections management software is preferred. (If you have no experience with KE-EMu, we will provide training)
• Ability to work independently and as part of multiple teams to meet departmental goals
• Ability to manage your own workflow to complete assigned projects on schedule and on budget with multiple competing demands for time
• Good visual acuity, fine motor skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively and collegially with different constituencies to achieve departmental goals
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends (time off in lieu will normally be offered)

Important Note: In order to protect the health and safety of our employees, guests and their families, the Field Museum is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Requests for exemptions from the vaccine will not be considered as given the nature of this position, we are unable to provide an accommodation for anyone who has not been vaccinated.

The Field Museum is an equal opportunity workplace and employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, Veteran status, or any other protected class. We strive to create a working environment that is free of all forms of discrimination and one that promotes human dignity and mutual respect among all staff. We believe every member of our organization enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, to identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions.

The Field Museum strives to ensure that our career website and recruiting process are accessible to all. If you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application, or if you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to accessibility@fieldmuseum.org.