Internship at Freer and Sackler Galleries

2014 Ten-Week Summer Internship
Paper Conservation Lab
Department of Conservation and Scientific Research
Freer and Sackler Galleries
Smithsonian Institution

Early deadline: July 28, 2013

The Freer-Sackler is accepting applications for a 2014 summer
internship relating to a Whistler watercolor research and analysis
project. This position is intended for a student currently in or
recently graduated from a graduate conservation program with the aim
of providing the opportunity to gain further experience examining
and photographing watercolors on paper as well as using imaging
technologies to augment on-going media analysis. The internship is
part of a larger project titled Whistler and Watercolor that was
funded by the Smithsonian's Scholarly Studies Award Program in the
Arts and Humanities.

Combining art history and conservation science, the Whistler and
Watercolor study focuses on the more than 50 watercolors by James
McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) in the Freer Gallery of Art. These
works---the world's largest collection of Whistler watercolors---are
part of the Freer's larger collection of Whistler's art including
oils, prints, drawings and copper etching plates. Technical studies
have analyzed Whistler's oil paints, prints, and pastels, but no
such studies exist on his watercolor practice. The collaboration of
a paper conservator, a scientist, and an art historian will allow
the synthesis of a technical examination and analysis of Whistler's
paper, pigments, and working techniques with a comprehensive survey
of the history of the works' exhibition and reception in Britain and
the United States. It will illuminate Whistler's working methods in
the medium and establish a baseline of information to which other
collections of Whistler watercolors can be compared.

The successful applicant will work closely with the paper
conservator responsible for the American, Islamic and Indian
collections, as well as with the Senior Scientist and the Curator of
American Art. The primary focus of this project is the examination
of the watercolors using UV and IR reflectography to augment
on-going pigment analysis such as XRF and FORS. Visual and
microscopic examination will be undertaken to identify and
photograph visible working practices such as sanding, blotting or
scraping of the paper and paint to achieve a desired appearance;
descriptions and photographs created will help scholars, curators,
and conservators to recognize these working techniques in related
works.

Applicants must be recent graduates or currently enrolled in a
recognized conservation program or have four or more years of
equivalent experience. Applicants must be fluent in spoken and
written English. There is a stipend of $4,000 for the ten week
position.  Please note the early deadline; successful applicant will
need to commit now for 2014 summer start date. To apply please send
the following by July 28, 2013:

    A letter of application expressing why you are interested in
    this opportunity and your future goals.

    A resume including basic biographical information with current
    address, telephone numbers, and email address, as well as
    conservation education and/or relevant experience or training.

    A portfolio including samples of treatment reports and
    photographic documentation.

    Contact information for two professional references (include
    address, phone, email).

All applications should be sent by email to:

    Emily Jacobson
    Paper and Photographs Conservator
    Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
    Smithsonian Institution
    jacobsone<-at->si<.>edu


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:6
                  Distributed: Saturday, July 20, 2013
                        Message Id: cdl-27-6-033
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