David Booth Fellowship in Media Conservation | Conservation

September 2026 — August 2028

The David Booth Conservation Department at The Museum of Modern Art is pleased to offer a two-year fellowship in media conservation, starting September 2026. The fellowship provides an opportunity to acquire additional training in media conservation in a museum setting. Working as part of the media conservation team, and responsible for the preservation of the audio, film, performance, software, and video-based artworks in the collection, the fellow will be involved in a variety of activities, including acquisition, exhibition, collection care, research, and projects related to media conservation. Fellowship activities involve collaboration across departments at the Museum, including other Conservation disciplines, Audio Visual, Curatorial, Exhibition Planning and Administration, Information Technology, and Collection Management and Exhibition Registration. Besides developing and refining advanced techniques in media conservation, the fellow will have the opportunity to develop and carry out research projects to be disseminated or published online, at conferences, and in peer-reviewed journals. 

The Museum of Modern Art is committed to nurturing the next generation of curators, art historians, conservators, and other arts professionals. This Conservation Fellowship is part of a distinctive museum-wide fellowship program that offers opportunities for training and development through immersion in the Museum’s departments, working alongside and mentored by experienced staff members. All fellows also participate in a core methods and practice program with MoMA staff and invited guests which explores object-based research and inquiry; public engagement in a museum context; and arts leadership and the role of cultural institutions. 

Responsibilities include:

• Performs condition assessments and completes condition reports for time-based media artworks. Recommends and executes treatment of works of art and exhibition conditions in consultation with conservators, scientists, and curators. Keeps full documentation of artwork treatments. 
• Assists in advising curators, registrars, and exhibition staff on the acquisition, exhibition and loan of time-based media artworks.
• Examines, interprets, and synthesizes installation requirements, previous installation documentation and other material pertaining to an artwork to fully describe the work in the museum’s collection management software The Museum System (TMS).
• Assists in exploring, arranging, cataloging, and eventually staging material for storage in the Museum’s digital repository for museum collections (DRMC).
• Investigates, evaluates, and tests new materials and techniques used by contemporary artists. Keeps abreast of new technical and material developments in the art-historical and conservation fields through attendance at meetings and readings of conservation, technical, and art-historical literature.
• Assists in supervising seasonal interns as requested.
• Perform any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Requirements:

• Recent graduate from a recognized conservation training program or closely related field (bachelor’s required, master’s preferred); candidates with equivalent training will be considered. No more than three years past graduation.
• Proficiency with computing environments (Mac and Windows) and relevant software for time-based media conservation, such as Non-linear Editors (Premiere, DaVinci, etc), the Adobe Creative Suite, command line tools (Mediainfo, FFmpeg, Exiftool, etc.), and other relevant software is required. 
• Experience with the basics of film inspection/projection, analog video review/migration, and installing time-based media artworks is desirable. 
• Preference will be given to those candidates who can demonstrate teamwork and effective communication skills, the ability to successfully manage time in a multitasking environment, and a systematic and methodological approach to research.

Reports to: Peter Oleksik, Media Conservator

Salary: $54,000 (plus benefits and vacation), with $3,500 annually for research and travel.

Application instructions:

Candidates should apply online at MoMA Jobs. In addition to your resume, please submit a detailed letter of interest and include the name of three references; letters from references are not required. Do not include treatment reports in the application. Candidates invited for interviews will be asked to supply treatment reports at that time; interviews will be scheduled in the second half of January 2026. 

The deadline for applications is January 4, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST. Applications without a letter of interest will not be considered.

The Museum of Modern Art’s Conservation Fellowship Initiative is made possible through the David Booth Conservation Center Endowment Fund.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement:

Equal Employment Opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at the Museum, where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, unemployment status, familial status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, caregiver status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, or any other protected category as established by applicable law, including the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).

Salary : $3,500 - $54,000