Career Overview
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
Also Known As
- Conservator
- Objects Conservator
- Paintings Conservator
- Preparator
Alternate Job Titles
- Archaeological Technician
- Armorer Technician
- Art Conservator
- Art Handler
- Art Objects Repairer
- Art Preparator
- Artifacts Conservator
- Ceramic Restorer
- Conservation Specialist
- Conservation Technician
- Conservation Worker
- Conservator
- Conservator Technician
- Document Restorer
- Ethnographic Materials Conservator
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
- Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
- Photograph objects for documentation.
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
- Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Expression
- Near Vision
- Oral Comprehension
- Information Ordering
- Speech Recognition
- Written Comprehension
- Speech Clarity
- Written Expression
- Originality
- Deductive Reasoning
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Intellectual Curiosity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Achievement
- Relationships
- Working Conditions
- Support
- Independence
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Master's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable widemouth pliers
- Air abrasive tools
- Binocular light compound microscopes
- Brazing equipment
- Carpenters' chisels
- Claw hammers
- Cold chisels
- Cordless drills
- Dental explorers
- Desktop computers
- Digital cameras
- Digital micrometers
- Digitizers
- Dusting brushes
- Handheld digital thermometers
Work Environment
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $30,720 |
| Median | $47,460 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $82,790 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 13,070
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Curators
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $61,770
Set and Exhibit Designers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $66,280
Archivists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $61,570
Historians
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $74,050
Craft Artists
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $38,480
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.