Assistant Conservator/ Conservator

at  National Gallery Singapore

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution which oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art. Situated at the birthplace of modern Singapore, in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments - City Hall and former Supreme Court - that have been beautifully restored and transformed into this exciting 64,000 square metre venue. Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery aims to be a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in our collaborative research, education, long-term and special exhibitions, and innovative programming. The Gallery also works with international museums such as Centre Pompidou, Muse d’Orsay, Tate Britain, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), to jointly present Southeast Asian art in the global context, positioning Singapore as a key node in the global visual arts scene.
In 2020, the Gallery was the only museum in Southeast Asia that received a ranking in The Art Newspaper’s annual global survey of attendance at art museums, taking 20th place. In 2018, the Gallery was also the first museum in Asia to receive the Children in Museums Award by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums. It also won the awards for Best Theme Attraction at TTG Travel Awards 2017, Best Attraction Experience, Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism and Best Customer Service (Attractions) at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards in 2016 for its role in adding to the vibrancy of Singapore’s tourism landscape.
We offer job opportunities in our dynamic organisation. Working at the Gallery enhances and cultivates your love for the arts, and offers you a chance to be part of the Gallery’s vision.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A recognized degree (Bachelor’s, honours or Master’s) in Conservation. Candidates without a degree in Conservation will be considered as Assistant Conservator.
• For Conservator level a minimum of 6 to 8 years of relevant work experience preferably at institutions. Candidates with lesser experience may be considered as Assistant Conservator.
• Ability and possibly experience in carrying out comprehensive conservation treatments with a high degree of manual dexterity and aesthetic sensitivity.
• Ability and experience in guiding and training others in conservation skills and knowledge as well as general supervision (only applicable to Conservator level).
• Ability to work unsupervised (only applicable to Conservator level) as well as being a cooperative member of staff.
• Ability to multi-task, organise and prioritise work in given timeline.
• Familiarity and experience with modern and contemporary art as well as cultural materials and collections from and in Southeast Asia will be advantageous.
• Possess a wide exposure in handling multi-cultural materials with sensitivity and demonstrate relevance in making sound contextual judgements in applying conservation principles and practices (only applicable to Conservator level).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills that facilitate teamwork and the ability to work across departments and institutions. Fluency in English is required.
• Keep up to date with current conservation development through self-directed learning and training. Evidence of continual professional development is strongly desirable.

National Gallery Singapore is recruiting a Conservator or Assistant Conservator (Organic Objects) who would be mainly based at the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC), which is the repository and conservation facility for the National Collection under the National Heritage Board (NHB). The collections comprise of 19th-21st century socio-historical, cultural, ethnographic, modern and contemporary artwork materials, mainly from the Southeast Asia region.
The selected candidate will be working in the Organic Objects section at the HCC. The candidate is expected to serve both the National Gallery, under the Visual arts cluster and the museums and institutions under the National Heritage Board, such as the National Museum of Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, The Peranakan Museum, and the Heritage Institutions.
The candidate will report to the Head of Organic Objects section in HCC. He/she is expected to conserve the National Collection and fulfil operational as well as administrative duties as part of exhibition and research projects in accordance with procedures and project timelines. He/she would also be required to report to the Director of Artwork and Exhibitions management in the National Gallery and participate in selected projects and events as agreed by both institutions.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

• Carry out conservation assessments, documentation and treatments on the National Collection according to HCC and NHB procedures, instructions and guidelines for exhibits, loans, maintenance and research projects.
• Manage exhibition projects as liaison officer to cover conservation-related as well as administrative aspects of exhibition preparations including preventive conservation. This will require close collaboration with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide preventive care for storage, transport, handling and display including advice on specialized mounting techniques, environmental settings for short- or long-term display or storage and any other requirements whenever necessary.
• Might provide supervision, mentoring and training of staff to strengthen their knowledge and competencies as well as a constructive work attitude and good performance (only applicable to candidates at Conservator level)
• Might conduct specialized conservation research projects to enhance collection knowledge and artefact significance while working in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, in Singapore, the region and/or internationally, and respecting the various perspectives involved (only applicable to candidates at Conservator level).
• Deliver administrative duties necessary for the day-to-day laboratory and office functions such as procurement and maintenance of records.
• Participate in ad-hoc duties and projects assigned, including working groups, committees or events organised by the Heritage Conservation Centre, National Heritage Board and the National Gallery.