MFAH Conservation Fellowship

Fellowship Title: Pre-Graduate Conservation Fellow
Academic Level: Graduate
Supervisors: Department Head, Per Kuntas
Department: Conservation
Dates of Fellowship: Summer Schedule: June 2 – August 8, 2025

Position Overview:

The Graduate Conservation Fellowship offers transformative opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in a professional conservation lab. The candidate will engage in hands-on treatment encompassing various aspects of collection care and conservation. They will undergo rotations across departments according to their skills, and tasks will be assigned according to the daily conservation-related demands and responsibilities. Under the close supervision of conservators, conservation scientists, and support staff, the intern will conduct basic conservation treatments, document procedures in treatment reports and digital formats, familiarize themselves with the characteristics and uses of a range of conservation materials, and utilize specialized tools and analytical equipment in their daily tasks. Alongside treating and examining artworks, the intern will be exposed to the fundamental responsibilities of a conservator, including gallery inspections, monitoring environmental conditions in collection spaces, and maintaining a tidy workspace. This summer internship is intended to increase the participation of underserved students who are under-represented within their communities.

Purpose and Goals

These opportunities are designed to:

• Graduate Conservation Fellowship: Provide critical, practical experience required for admission to graduate conservation programs and support the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world conservation practices.
• Mentorship: will mentor student and prepare them for the next stages of their academic and professional careers in conservation.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

The ideal intern candidate should be enrolled in higher learning, with the goal of applying to graduate studies in conservation. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are essential.  Manual dexterity is frequently required as duties call for the handling of artwork, and the operation of tools and equipment.  

Education and Eligibility:

• Graduate-level Fellowship: Open to students currently enrolled in a graduate program or those who have recently completed (within one year) a master’s degree.

Anticipated Schedule:

The fellowship experience will comprise 350 hours of work (35 hours per week for 10 weeks), running from June 2 to August 8, 2025. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with an hour-long lunch).

Starting and end date can be flexible dependent on applicant circumstance.

Fellowship Stipend:

Fellowship - $17/hour ($5950)