Senior Sculpture Technician

Job title:

Senior Sculpture Technician

Company

Tate

Job description

About the role
To provide technical support to the conservation project team in connection with the Palais de Danse Materials and Studio Collection, for the conservation, preservation and use of works of art in Tate’s Collection and care, and to handle, prepare and maintain artworks and their associated components for safe storage, transit, installation and display. This role is supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and is based in our offsite store and Conservation Unit in St Ives.The Palais de Danse project contains working materials that belonged to both Hepworth and her assistants including scrapers, files, rasps, brushes, pulleys, spacers, wire mesh, prototypes, polishes, preparations, paper sacks of surgical dental plaster, turntable fitments, frames and a large number of plinths Hepworth made for the display of her sculptures. Significant furniture and fittings, include workbenches, stools, period cupboards and shelving in the workshops; coloured screens, a large mirror and lampshades in the dance hall; the chequerboard grid on the floor of the Upper Workshop with a visible outline of the United Nations’ Single Form.
A number of these integral features, along with the sliding glassine screens Hepworth designed to separate the upstairs lobby/studio space from the dance hall and the sprung dance floor are mentioned under a protective covenant within the original transfer documents. This collection was designated as the Materials and Studio Collection by Tate in 2016.About the team
Sculpture and Installation art covers single sculptures to full room multi component artworks, they can be made of any material and combination of materials from metal to plastics to flora and fauna, the artworks can be static or kinetic.
The Sculpture and Installation Art conservation team is responsible for the preservation, acquisition, exhibition, display and loan of these artworks. We are a team of conservators, senior conservation technicians and conservation technicians who work across these areas of responsibility.
The team is part of the Conservation Department. The Conservation department provides specialist conservation services to support the programme across Tate and is one of four departments in the Collection Care division. Specialist areas, in addition to time-based media, include Paintings, Frames and Workshop, Time Based Media, Paper and Photographs, Conservation Science and Preventive Conservation. The department is led by the Head of Conservation – together, the department brings excellence and innovation to the care of Tate’s Collection, preventing damage and deterioration and ensuring that the Collection is available for future generations to enjoy.What you will gain
Motivated, and skilled people are key to our continued success, and we want everyone at Tate to have the opportunity to develop and thrive. In this team, you will be encouraged to contribute your ideas, realise your potential, and learn new skills and knowledge.What you will do (Main Duties and Responsibilities)

• Support the Sculpture Conservator in the care and management of the Materials and Studio Collection.
• Formulate approaches to solve technical problems.
• Create and update records for Tate’s Collection Management System (TMS) and Conservation records.
• Advise staff at all levels on technical requirements for the Materials and Studio Collection.
• Support the Technical Manager with all aspects of storage and logistics for the collection.

Collections Care and Preventive Conservation Activity

• Active involvement in the design, development and use of long-term collection care procedures, including those for packing, transport, storage, display and installation in connection to the care of the Materials and Studio Collection.
• Assist with preventive conservation activities such as environmental monitoring and pest management.

Support for Tate programmes

• Provide accurate time and cost estimates for your activities.
• Organise and deliver technical input on time and within budget for agreed projects.
• Provide recommendations for artworks including transport, handling, installation and display of works of art for the Palais de Danse.
• Support the installation of objects at the Palais de Danse.

Management, Supervision and Training

• Contribute to programmes of training and development for Tate staff, apprentices and others as required.

What you will bring to the team

• A relevant technical qualification or equivalent work experience in art handling or technical experience gained in the arts or heritage sectors.
• Able to demonstrate a broad range of developed craft skills including carpentry, metalworking and machine maintenance.
• Experience of working with a range of structural materials including wood, metal and plastics.
• A pragmatic approach to problem solving with consideration of practical and ethical issues.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Organisational, time management and planning skills with the ability to work well under pressure and prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively as a part of a team.
• An understanding of the principles of equality and diversity in relation to learning and the ability to apply these in practice at work.
• Knowledge of the COSHH regulations and requirements.
• An interest in art and a commitment to the work of Tate.

Museum Website:

Expected salary

£29348 per year

Location

St Ives, Cambridgeshire

Job date

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 05:54:16 GMT

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