Museum Technicians and Conservators
Museum technician restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit.
Museum technician jobs manage, preserve, and treat the artifacts and specimens for exhibition. They also identify and record objects or install, and arrange them in exhibits. The daily tasks of a museum technician include install, arrange, and assemble the artifacts for the museum, record and report the status and condition, clean objects such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, and glass using solvents, soap solutions etc.
To pursue a career as museum conservator, a high school diploma, followed by a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in the respective field with work experience in the related field. Besides that, the applicant should have a good knowledge of fine arts, public safety, and history, and archeology , civilizations, and culture with good communication skills with proficiency in database user interface, email software, and graphics, and photo design software.
To become a successful museum technician, one must have the ability to understand the written statements, and documents, solve complex problems, ability to communicate information, and ideas to others, speech clarity, recognizing the differences, and similarities between the objects, and reviewing the information from materials, events or environment. Some of the career options of a museum technician jobs are - Conservation Technician, Museum Registrar, Objects Conservator, Preparator, Art Preparator, Exhibit Technician, Paintings Conservator.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- B.A. History
- B.A. Anthropology
- M.A. Museum Studies
- M.A. Ancient Indian History
- PG Diploma Modern and Contemporary Indian Art
Tasks
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Coordinate exhibit installations, assisting with design, constructing displays, dioramas, display cases, and models, and ensuring the availability of necessary materials.
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
- Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
- Supervise and work with volunteers.
- Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
- Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
- Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control.
- Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces.
Progression Routes
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