Associate Conservator

Glenstone Museum; Potomac (MD); On-site; USD 92,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

A unique art museum in Potomac seeks an Associate Conservator to manage conservation projects and oversee a fellowship program. The role involves treating artworks, managing exhibitions, and collaborating with a team dedicated to contemporary art conservation. The ideal candidate has a Master's in Art Conservation and at least five years of museum experience. A competitive salary of $92,500 - $102,500 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with matching contribution

Tuition reimbursement

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of post-graduate experience in a museum.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Experience managing others.

Responsibilities

• Manage the intern and fellowship program in Conservation.
• Act as conservation lead for exhibitions.
• Treat artworks and manage conservation projects.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Problem-solving

Team collaboration

Education

Master of Arts or Science in Art Conservation

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Join to apply for the Associate Conservator role at Glenstone Museum

6 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Join to apply for the Associate Conservator role at Glenstone Museum

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

An Introduction to Glenstone Museum

Founded with the mission to seamlessly integrate art, architecture, and landscape, Glenstone is an art museum located on over 300 acres of rolling hills and unspoiled woodland in Potomac, Maryland. The museum, opened in 2006 and expanded in 2018, offers nearly 60,000 square feet of exhibition space to showcase its collection of more than 2,000 works by 280 contemporary artists. With its expansion, Glenstone now has the ability to welcome over 100,000 visitors each year, and admission is always free.

Careers

Associate Conservator

Position

Associate Conservator

Reports To

Director of Conservation

An Introduction to Glenstone Museum

Founded with the mission to seamlessly integrate art, architecture, and landscape, Glenstone is an art museum located on over 300 acres of rolling hills and unspoiled woodland in Potomac, Maryland. The museum, opened in 2006 and expanded in 2018, offers nearly 60,000 square feet of exhibition space to showcase its collection of more than 2,000 works by 280 contemporary artists. With its expansion, Glenstone now has the ability to welcome over 100,000 visitors each year, and admission is always free.

Position Overview

The Associate Conservator will join a team of dedicated conservators and collection managers working directly on the care and management of Glenstone’s superlative collection of post-World War II artworks. The Associate Conservator plays an integral role in the care, display, and conservation of the collection, which is inclusive of a variety of media and materials. Duties include examining, researching, and treating artworks and supporting the museum’s preventive conservation activities.

The position is a critical contributor to all department tasks, including incoming and outgoing condition reporting, supporting acquisitions, preparing artworks to travel on loan, courier travel, exhibition planning and installation, regular maintenance of the collection, and training staff on proper protocols for ensuring the safety of art objects. Due to the distinct challenges posed by contemporary art, Glenstone’s conservation program is collaborative in nature. As such, this position offers significant opportunities to work with outside conservators, vendors, museum professionals, galleries, living artists, and their studios or foundations.

Desired Attributes & Characteristics

The ideal candidate possesses excellent communication skills, a strong work ethic, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines. A positive attitude, willingness to help others, and desire to work in a collaborative team environment are essential. Glenstone seeks an expert problem solver with a proven ability to remain calm in challenging situations. In addition, we are looking for someone that can embrace Glenstone’s core value of continuous improvement through an interest in professional development to advance their knowledge and expertise to surpass our previous best efforts.

Essential to success in this role is the ability to apply creative methods to solve installation challenges, attention to detail, the ability to work both as part of a team and under individual direction, and the ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the desire to exemplify leadership qualities including respect, self-awareness, and empathy while engaging with and mentoring future leaders in the field.

Key Responsibilities

• On behalf of the Conservation Department, manage the intern and fellowship program, including recruiting and interviewing, and serve as the direct supervisor of the Conservation Fellow (two-year term) and Graduate Conservation Intern (Summer).
• Act as conservation lead for exhibitions at Glenstone as assigned, by attending regular planning meetings and supervising installation to ensure artworks are safely installed.
• Serve as a courier for complicated loans.
• Treat artworks with a focus on preparation for loans and exhibitions.
• Manage outsourced conservation treatments and fabrication projects, including budget development and invoice review.
• Produce condition documentation of artworks, including acquisitions, loans, and exhibitions.
• Contribute to the maintenance of artworks currently on view at Glenstone, including works inside the galleries and those installed outdoors in the landscape.
• Coordinate conservation activities for time-based media works, including video acquisition worksheets, equipment review, documentation, installation, or treatment.
• Oversee the maintenance and proper use of the digital preservation system.
• Maintain and update the museum’s Preventive Conservation Manual, which includes guidelines for temperature, relative humidity and light levels in gallery and storage spaces, as well as procedures for handling and working around artwork.
• Keep conservation policies up to date and train new Glenstone associates on their contents.
• Maintain the Emergency Response and Recovery Plan for the museum’s collections and develop training for staff on its contents.
• In the event of visitor interaction with artworks, review incidents, write and circulate reports, and compile monthly incident statistics.
• Keep Glenstone positioned as a leader in contemporary art conservation by participating in professional development activities including talks, authoring papers, editing journals, giving tours of the program, and being on boards of professional organizations.
• Contribute to the museum’s Oral History Program by performing research and conducting interviews with artists, studio assistants, fabricators, and others knowledgeable about artworks or movements represented in the museum’s collection.
• Represent the Conservation department on necessary institutional committees.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• A Master of Arts or Science in the field of Art Conservation.
• A minimum of five years of post-graduate experience working in a museum environment and/or private practice.
• Ability to exercise independent judgement when assessing the condition of artworks and devising preservation and treatment strategies.
• A heightened sense of discretion pertaining to living artists and sensitive art objects.
• Excellent dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Excellent communication skills with high attention to detail and the ability to listen to, comprehend, and execute tasks in a timely and effective way.
• One-to-two years’ experience managing others, with proven ability to direct, coach, and motivate direct reports.
• Strong cultural competence, interpersonal communication, planning, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and other design software.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with living artists.
• Specialization in modern and contemporary art conservation, object conservation, preventive conservation, and/or variable media conservation.
• Strong administrative, fiscal, and staff management skills.
• Ability to manage assigned projects, create a plan, and execute to completion with little oversight.
• Working knowledge of art information systems and computerized collection management databases.
• Ability to climb ladders, work in tight spaces for extended periods of time, lift heavy objects (up to 70 lbs.), stand for long periods of time, and use eyes and hands to examine and handle delicate objects.
• Strong writing and public presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts about history, visual arts, and cultural practice to audiences ranging from casual museum-goers to academics.
• Professional working proficiency in languages other than English is a plus.
  
  

Salary And Benefits

This is a full-time position. Glenstone offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and provides a total benefits package that helps you manage your health, protect your income, and prepare for the future. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; life, long-term disability and AD&D insurance, a Flexible Spending Account (FSA); a 401(k)-retirement account with a matching contribution; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); and tuition reimbursement.



We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Salary Range: $92,500 - $102,500 per year

Apply for this Position

Experience art, architecture, and nature. Always free.

12100 Glen Road Potomac, MD 20854

Directions

301-983-5001 [e-mail]

Contact

About

About Glenstone Careers Digital Map Community Partnerships

Press

Press Releases Press Inquiry Press Images

Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

Glenstone 1998–2025

• Job function

  Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology

• Industries

  Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Glenstone Museum by 2x

Get notified about new Conservator jobs in Potomac, MD.

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.