Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Ivory Cleaner

🎯 Role Definition

The Ivory Cleaner (Ivory Conservator Technician) is a specialized collections-care professional responsible for the safe, ethical, and legally compliant cleaning, assessment, stabilization, and preventative care of ivory and other organic artifacts in museum, gallery, private collection, or cultural heritage settings. The role combines hands-on conservation practice, meticulous documentation, collaboration with curators and registrars, and compliance with national and international regulations (including CITES/Lacey Act where applicable) to ensure long-term preservation and responsible stewardship of ivory objects.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Collections Care Technician or Preparator with experience handling sensitive materials.
Conservation Technician (organic materials) or Museum Assistant with collections handling experience.
Recent graduate with an MA in Conservation or postgraduate certificate and internship experience.

Advancement To:

Ivory Conservator / Conservator of Organic Materials.
Senior Conservator, Head of Conservation, or Collections Care Manager.
Conservation Scientist or Registrar with specialization in regulated materials.

Lateral Moves:

Preventive Conservation Specialist.
Collection Management or Loans Coordinator.
Exhibit Preparation and Mountmaking Specialist.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct detailed condition assessments and produce clear, timestamped condition reports for ivory objects, documenting surface condition, structural integrity, previous repairs, biological attack, and environmental vulnerabilities using written descriptions and high-resolution imagery suitable for archival records and legal compliance.
Plan, justify, and execute minimally invasive surface-cleaning and stabilization treatments for ivory artifacts following established conservation ethics; prepare treatment proposals that include objectives, risks, materials to be used, and post-treatment care instructions for curators and stakeholders.
Perform non-destructive testing and analysis (e.g., microscopic examination, spot testing for soluble salts, UV inspection) to inform safe cleaning choices while ensuring no irreversible alteration to the object; coordinate analytical work with conservation scientists when required.
Maintain strict adherence to legal and ethical requirements for working with ivory, including identification of species where possible, coordination with registrars on provenance and permitting, and preparation of documentation necessary for CITES, national permitting, and institutional loan agreements.
Execute safe handling, housing, and storage improvements for ivory objects—design custom mounts, supports, and packaging to mitigate stress, pest infestation, humidity and light damage while facilitating safe access for display and study.
Prepare objects for exhibition and travel: develop packing and crating specifications, provide condition reporting pre- and post-loan, liaise with registrars and lenders to complete required permit and transport paperwork, and monitor return conditions.
Implement integrated pest management (IPM) and environmental monitoring related to ivory collections; interpret data from hygrothermographs and dataloggers and recommend corrective actions for microclimate control to minimize cracking, warping, or biological degradation.
Develop and maintain up-to-date treatment and conservation records in the institution’s collection management or conservation documentation systems (catalog entries, treatment reports, photo documentation, chemical inventories) to support transparency and long-term stewardship.
Coordinate and manage conservation workflows for ivory collections, scheduling treatments, allocating bench time, and prioritizing interventions based on risk assessment, exhibition plans, and institutional objectives.
Lead emergency preparedness and response for ivory collections, including salvage protocols during water, fire, or pest incidents, and collaborate with facilities, curatorial, and emergency response teams to minimize damage and loss.
Supervise, train, and mentor volunteers, interns, and junior technicians in safe handling, basic preventive cleaning techniques, documentation standards, and ethical considerations specific to ivory and regulated materials.
Maintain the conservation studio and tool inventory in compliance with health and safety regulations, ensuring availability of PPE, proper storage and labeling of chemicals, waste management and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) adherence.
Collaborate with curators, registrars, conservators, and external specialists to evaluate acquisitions, loans, and repatriation claims that involve ivory, offering objective conservation input on condition, treatability, and long-term care obligations.
Conduct provenance and materials research to inform conservation strategies and legal obligations, including searching institutional records, consulting national registers, and preparing documentation to support repatriation or legal requests when required.
Prepare clear, professionally written treatment proposals and post-treatment reports suitable for publication in conservation literature, grant applications, exhibition catalogues, and stakeholder communication.
Liaise with external conservation laboratories, analytical facilities, and specialized vendors for complicated diagnostics or treatments beyond in-house scope, negotiating contracts, and overseeing quality control during outsourced work.
Design and implement preventive conservation programs targeted at ivory, including light-level recommendations, relative humidity parameters, rotational display schedules, and handling protocols to minimize long-term deterioration.
Advise exhibition and interpretive teams on display cases, mounting, and lighting solutions that protect ivory artifacts while meeting interpretive and accessibility goals; propose solutions that integrate conservation priorities with exhibition design.
Manage conservation budgets related to ivory treatment, supplies, and contracted services, tracking expenditures, preparing purchase requisitions, and contributing to funding proposals and grant applications for conservation projects.
Participate in or lead conservation-focused outreach, training sessions for museum staff and volunteers on safe handling and reporting procedures, and public-facing programs that explain conservation ethics and the institution’s approach to responsible stewardship of regulated materials.
Monitor advances in conservation science and regulation affecting ivory (e.g., shifts in permitted trade, new analytical tools) and update institutional procedures to maintain legal compliance and best practice.
Ensure transparent recordkeeping and communication during repatriation or legal reviews involving ivory items, working closely with curators and legal counsel to provide condition assessments, treatment histories, and photographic evidence required by regulatory or loan authorities.
Support risk assessment projects that evaluate environmental and operational threats to ivory collections, including fire suppression compatibility assessments and recommendations for mitigation measures tailored to organic materials.
Draft and revise institutional policy documents and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the care, documentation, movement, and treatment of ivory and other regulated cultural materials, ensuring policies reflect current law and professional guidelines.

Secondary Functions

Support cross-departmental projects (curatorial, registrars, exhibitions) by providing conservation input for object selection, interpretive planning, and display schedules.
Assist with targeted research projects that document degradation patterns or treatment outcomes for ivory artifacts, contributing to institutional and field-wide knowledge.
Participate in professional networks, conferences, and training to maintain currency in conservation methodology and regulatory compliance.
Provide technical input to disaster preparedness planning and participate in drills to ensure readiness for collections emergencies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Collections care for organic materials, specifically experience with ivory, bone, horn, and composite artifacts.
Condition reporting and conservation documentation, including photography, photo-macro techniques, and use of conservation database systems (e.g., TMS, PastPerfect, or eHive).
Knowledge of legal and regulatory frameworks affecting ivory (CITES, national legislation, import/export and loan permit procedures) and experience coordinating permit documentation.
Preventive conservation planning: environmental monitoring, microclimate control, light management, and integrated pest management tailored to organic materials.
Non-destructive assessment methods and basic analytical literacy (microscopy, UV/IR imaging, stable observations) to inform safe treatment decisions.
Familiarity with packing, crating, and transport specifications for delicate/regulated materials and experience preparing objects for loan and travel.
Experience with conservation-grade materials, adhesives, and reversible treatments appropriate for ivory (ability to evaluate compatibility and longevity without providing procedural step-by-step methods).
Emergency response and salvage techniques for cultural heritage, with documented experience participating in or leading recovery operations.
Inventory and chemical safety management, including maintenance of MSDS/SDS records, PPE use, and hazardous waste handling policies.
Proficiency with conservation reporting standards and the ability to produce clear treatment proposals, cost estimates, and post-treatment reports suitable for institutional records and stakeholders.
Experience working with external analytical labs, conservators, and subject-matter experts to coordinate diagnostics and specialized treatments.
Basic lab equipment operation and studio maintenance skills, ensuring a safe, compliant work environment.

Soft Skills

Strong written communication skills for precise condition reports, treatment proposals, and regulatory documentation.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate with curators, registrars, scientists, lenders, and legal counsel.
Attention to detail and methodical recordkeeping—critical for legal compliance and long-term collections care.
Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to assess treatment risk/benefit and make defensible conservation decisions.
Project management and organizational ability to prioritize multiple objects, deadlines, and loan cycles.
Teaching and mentoring skills to train staff, interns, and volunteers in safe handling and basic preventive care.
Cultural sensitivity and ethical judgement when working with culturally sensitive or repatriation-related objects.
Adaptability and calm under pressure during emergency response and high-stakes loan coordination.
Professionalism and discretion handling objects with legal or provenance sensitivities.
Initiative and curiosity to keep current with conservation literature, regulatory change, and technical best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Conservation, Museum Studies, Conservation Science, Art History with conservation coursework, or a related field, plus relevant hands-on experience in collections care.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MA/MSc) in Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Conservation Science, or equivalent professional conservation training (e.g., postgraduate conservation diploma) with a focus or documented experience in organic materials.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Conservation Science (organic materials)
Museum Studies / Collections Care
Chemistry or Materials Science (applied to cultural heritage)
Art History with conservation specialization

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of professional experience in conservation or collections care, including direct work with ivory or similar organic materials.

Preferred:

5+ years working in museums, cultural institutions, or private conservation studios with documented responsibility for cleaning, documentation, and treatment planning of ivory, bone, or horn artifacts.
Demonstrated experience coordinating legal compliance (CITES/regulatory permits), loan preparations for regulated materials, and emergency salvage involving organic objects.
Proven record of managing conservation projects from assessment through treatment and post-treatment monitoring, with strong portfolio of condition reports and treatment documentation.