Museum Technician

Maymont Foundation•Richmond, VA

About The Position

Maymont is a 100-acre historic estate and park, located in Richmond, Virginia, with many unique experiences for all to enjoy, including the historic Maymont Mansion, The Robins Nature Center, arboretum, formal gardens, and habitats for native Virginia wildlife and farm animals. Since 1975, Maymont has been maintained and operated by the nonprofit Maymont Foundation, committed to creating experiences that delight, educate and inspire its guests. The Historical Resources Department is seeking a part-time Museum Technician. The position is responsible for executing preventative conservation procedures to ensure the highest standards of care for the Maymont collection, historic features, exhibition areas, and museum storage. The position also monitors all aspects of the museum environment and reports issues to the Collections Manager. The position reports to the Collections & Exhibitions Manager and is a key player in the historical resources team. The position works with the Collection & Exhibitions Manager to coordinate and carry out collections and exhibition-related projects. The Museum Technician may also assist with other curatorial tasks such as registration or records management. As part of the historical resources professional staff, the Museum Tech participates in other Maymont activities and special events as needed.

Requirements

Careful respect for and sensitivity to the special needs of various materials, historical artifacts and works of art
Excellent manual dexterity, flexibility, physical stamina
Able to work both independently and as part of the Maymont team.
A high level of trust and commitment is required
Experience in a museum setting, with considerable object handling experience.
Ability to pass a background check needed

Nice To Haves

Background in conservation or preservation practices, art, art history, or museum studies and some experience in registration or cataloguing is preferred.

Responsibilities

Cares for the collection according to weekly, quarterly, and annual maintenance schedule (e.g. routine vacuuming and dusting of exhibit areas)
Cares for museum storage areas and makes improvements as necessary
Monitor, record and report status of the museum environment (e.g. IPM, building changes, light levels, climate, etc.)
Performs hands-on tasks to mitigate conditions potentially harmful to the collection, the interiors, or the historic structure
Performs required object handling and directs others who assist
Assists with emergency procedures or treatments
Updates condition reports on the collection and interiors; creates condition reports for new accessions
Photographs objects and building conditions for records
Prepares objects for exhibition; helps to create museum displays
If requested, provide assistance to conservators and other specialists working on-site
Assists with collections surveys and object examination
Assists with cataloguing the collection and other curatorial tasks
Conducts yearly collections and archives inventory and reconciliation of records
Assists with digital assets management
Maintains and catalogues the reference library
Assists with recording and documenting building and systems repairs and preservation work
Provides support for day-to-day operation of the historical resources as needed