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Desired Majors and Areas of Study: Textile/Fiber Art, Fashion Design, Costume Design, and Art Conservation

The Office of Collections Management (OCM) is responsible for the physical care and long-term preservation of the museum’s collections.

The primary focus of the conservation team is the stewardship of our museum’s collection, which we achieve through a blend of preservation and access. Conservation is a science-based discipline dedicated to making cultural heritage accessible to both current and future generations. 

Our conservation work encompasses a wide range of activities and often involves deep collaboration with other teams and departments. Individually and collectively, the goals of these activities are twofold: to expand knowledge about collection objects and to ensure their future preservation. Key areas of our work include: 

  • Preventive Care 
  • Examination
  • Documentation
  • Treatment
  • Research

As a public institution, the museum has a primary obligation to preserve its collection for generations to come. The Conservation Department, part of the Office of Collections Management (OCM), is entrusted with this vital responsibility and is committed to safeguarding our irreplaceable cultural legacy.

The Textile Conservation Internship will focus on a multifaceted project that will support the intern as they learn about and develop skills in textile conservation. Conservation work requires a nuanced understanding of both theory and practice to successfully care for cultural heritage. This project will provide a tangible and structured framework as the intern gains an enriched understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of textile conservation. The intern project will be the technical analysis and conservation treatment of a skirt worn by Lucy Lee Shirley around 1860 (2007.3.5). The floral printed skirt requires technical research to better understand its materials, construction, and previous repairs. Conservation treatment is needed to make it stable for display on a mannequin. While the skirt is not currently scheduled for display in the Museum, this project will allow curators to consider it for future exhibitions and publication. The technical analysis and conservation treatment will include: 

  • Structure analysis for all materials (fabrics and sewing threads)
  • Creation of conservation treatment proposal and treatment report (will include an appendix that includes a summary of current research pertaining to Lucy Lee Shirely, as well as fashion history information relating to the fabric and garment) 
  • Visual compensation as needed for large damaged areas
  • Crease reduction
  • Testing with aqueous solutions and solvents to determine if it is possible to reduce any stains 

Through conversations with professional textile conservators and suggested readings from professional literature, the intern will gain an understanding of the theoretical context for conservation decision-making. For example, when and how might certain types of analysis be appropriate? How can conservation treatments support both the physical materials and the cultural stories of museum objects? By the end of the internship, the intern will be able to:

  • Explain the decision-making, process, and importance of their work to members of the public and conservation professionals
  • Perform fiber identification with polarized light microscopy
  • Take a measured paper pattern of a garment in a museum collection
  • Execute textile conservation activities including stitched stabilization, crease reduction, visual compensation, and testing for stain reduction

Duties Include (but are not limited to):

  • Develop skills and contextual understanding of technical analysis
  • Observe, research, and describe materials and construction of the selected museum object
  • Take samples and perform polarized light microscopy to determine fiber types
  • Create a measured paper pattern of the selected museum object
  • Develop skills and contextual understanding of textile conservation
  • Create treatment proposal and treatment report documents with associated photographs
  • Plan and execute stitched stabilization for weak areas and areas of loss
  • Plan and execute visual compensations for loss in larger areas of loss, crease reduction, tests for stain reduction, and treatment for stain reduction
  • Develop professional skills in textile conservation
  • Create a digital portfolio showcasing skills learned and projects completed during the internship
  • Attend local and virtual professional events as possible – to be determined as these are scheduled