Volunteering in Conservation
The Conservation Department at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History welcomes applications for volunteer lab assistant positions. Supervised by professional art conservators, the assistants actively participate in the daily work of the art conservation laboratories. In addition to preventive conservation activities, general lab support, and interdepartmental museum efforts, the volunteers will have opportunities to assist in a variety of projects. These projects include the examination and documentation of ethnographic and archaeological objects and textiles in preparation for in-house exhibitions, loans, and/or travelling exhibitions. As time and skill level permits, instruction on the minor repair and cleaning of selected objects may be available. Some applicants may prefer to consider their volunteer lab assistant work periods as pre-training conservation internships, or as an exploration of possible museum careers.

Training to participate in lab activities is provided for any level of experience, so applicants with any level of skill and experience are welcome to apply. Applicants must have the ability to handle cultural artifacts with care, and must be capable of detailed work. They must also have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and have good hand-eye coordination. Acceptance periods occur on an ongoing basis, as training cycles commence a few times yearly; successful applicants may be placed on a waiting list if the lab is full at the time of acceptance.

The complete application process ultimately includes phone and in-person interviews, three letters of recommendation, and two writing samples. After the probation period and structured training process appropriate to the level of the worker, successful applicants able to devote a minimum of 18 hours per week for an 8-month period will begin fully participating in the work of the Conservation Department. Hours are 10 am-5 pm, 3 days weekly, Monday – Friday.

Interested applicants may send an initial letter of inquiry and resume to: Jo Hill, Director of Conservation, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Box 951549 / 2880 Fowler Building, Los Angeles, California 90095-1549, Fax 310.206.7007, email jhill@arts.ucla.edu (no phone calls, please). Upon receipt of the letter of inquiry and resume, a 30-minute appointment for an introduction to the conservation lab will be arranged for one of the bimonthly "behind the scenes" museum tours.