Conservation Assistant - Africa/Egypt Exhibit

Position: Conservation Assistant - Africa/Egypt Exhibit

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Department: Gantz Family Collections Center

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

Join our team and enjoy a benefits package that truly supports your well-being and lifestyle:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Including medical, dental, vision plans, and even pet insurance.

• Financial Security: Life and disability benefits plus a 403(b) savings plan to help you plan for the future.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off, paid sick leave, and paid holidays to ensure you have time to recharge and spend with loved ones.

• Exclusive Perks: Enjoy great employee discounts and complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions.

We're dedicated to enhancing your life both at work and beyond!

The Field Museum seeks a Conservation Assistant to work on Egyptian archaeological and African social history items as part of the Africa Hall Renovation Project. This is a term position for a period of a little over two years.

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 chemical spot testing. 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 (KE 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 and interns 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.