Assistant, Associate, or Objects Conservator
Listed on 2026-03-11
-
Creative Arts/Media
Creative Design / Digital Art, Art / Design Teacher
The Menil Collection
- Employment Opportunity
Title: Assistant, Associate, or Objects Conservator
Department: Conservation
Reports to: Director of Conservation
Status: Full-time; exempt from overtime
Work location: Onsite
Number of Vacancies: 2
Annual salary:
Assistant Objects Conservator $63 - 68,000
Associate Objects Conservator $73 - 78,000
Objects Conservator $82 - 97,000
Final date to receive applications:
Application review for these positions will begin on March 30,2026, and continue until the positions are filled.
The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, is seeking to hire two objects conservators at the Assistant, Associate, or Conservator level to join the Department of Conservation.
Philanthropists and art patrons John and Dominique de Menil established the Menil Foundation in 1954 to foster greater public understanding and appreciation of art, architecture, culture, religion, and philosophy. In 1987, the Menil Collection’s main building opened to the public. Today, the museum’s art buildings and green spaces are nestled within a residential neighborhood in central Houston. On a 30-acre campus, visitors are invited to explore the Menil’s main museum building, Menil Drawing Institute, Cy Twombly Gallery, and Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall.
The museum’s holdings include more than 25,000 works. The Menil continues to build on the visions and philosophies of its founders, with new acquisitions intended to keep the museum vibrant, intellectually curious, and relevant in an ever‑changing world.
The Conservation Department consists of a Director of Conservation, five full‑time Conservators specializing in paper, paintings, and objects, a Conservation Imaging Specialist, a Matter/Framer, an Andrew W. Mellon Conservation Fellow, a Paper Conservation Technician, and two support staff. The department is housed within the Menil Collection’s purpose‑built conservation studios, which include shared and dedicated space for the conservation of paintings, objects, and works on paper, as well as for framing, analysis, and imaging.
Since its founding in 1987, the Menil Collection Conservation Department has distinguished itself through its publications on treatments and materials research. Of particular note is the department's ongoing commitment to working with living artists, including the establishment of the Artists Documentation Program (ADP), which interviews artists and their close associates to better understand their materials, working techniques, and views on conservation and the long‑term preservation of their works.
Responsibilities
The Objects Conservators are responsible for the care and preservation of objects, outdoor sculpture, installations, and time‑based media artwork in the care of the Menil Collection. The collection includes significant holdings of antiquities, art from Africa and Oceania, and modern and contemporary art. At all levels, the Objects Conservators will undertake research, preventive care, general maintenance, and conservation assessment and treatment.
All work must be performed in accordance with the American Institute for Conservation’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.
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