Lab Tech/Art

The Lab Technician in the Art Department's role is to administer, maintain and coordinate all studio labs in Davidson's Visual Arts Center. Studio labs consist of a sculpture laboratory (a 7000 sq ft facility containing a fully equipped wood shop, welding shop, and bronze/aluminum foundry); painting studios with woodworking power tools for making stretchers; a printmaking laboratory facility containing etching, screen printing, and lithography equipment; a computer lab with 16 computers; and a Visual Resource Center with large format Digital printers, scanners and photography equipment. The technician also assists with prep/installation and removal of art exhibitions in the Van Every and Smith Art Galleries and collection works installed throughout campus.

Duties:

Provide technical assistance to students in areas of painting, printmaking, sculpture, and digital art - Technician provides direct assistance to students during dedicated lab hours. This includes monitoring students' safe and proper use of lab equipment and technical assistance in completing course assignments.  Lab monitoring may require evening hours two times a week.

General lab maintenance for the studio labs - This includes cleaning up from sculpture demonstrations, putting away tools, changing gas/oxygen tanks, stocking consumable supplies, and properly disposing of solvents and chemicals. Class preparations (especially during the summer) include cutting wood for painting substrates and building lab specific furniture.

Responsible for equipment maintenance and repair for all equipment in studio class labs - Equipment requires constant repair and fine-tuning due to novice users. This category includes preventative maintenance, inventory, upgrades and coordinating repairs to existing equipment that make a safer and more user-friendly lab environment. This includes 40 pieces of floor machinery, over 100 assorted handheld electric/pneumatic tools, easels, 3D printers, and 2 large-format digital printers.

Research/order lab supplies and function as vendor interface for lab supplies - Technician will research and contact vendors, upgrade existing lab equipment, hire, train and supervise work study students lending equipment like cameras and iPads, and institutes methods for making the labs run more efficiently and safely. 

Gallery prep, exhibition installation/removal for the van every and smith galleries - Technician functions as preparer and installer/remover of exhibitions in coordination with the Gallery Director. Also services technical needs of exhibiting artists during installation of exhibits. Assist Gallery staff with the installation and deinstallation of exhibitions in the Van Every and Smith Galleries, and throughout campus buildings, including:

• Construction of pedestals/special museum furniture/cases 
• Physically assisting with installation of art
• Arranging lighting
• Designing, cutting, and installing exhibition graphics
• Building crates or slipcases
• Packing art to industry standards
• Assist senior majors, with Gallery staff, on installation needs for capstone exhibitions
• Assist Gallery staff with maintenance of outdoor sculptures

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in related discipline
Valid driver's license
Minimum two years' experience working as a lab technician in an art/sculpture program is essential.  Work experience in gallery related preparation/installation is desired. 

If the candidate has extensive experience working as a technician in an art program (3+ years) and has the required skill set, they would not be required to have a BFA degree specific to sculpture.

Preferred Qualifications:

MFA

Knowledge, Skills, & Training:

At least 3-5 years of working experience in operation, maintenance, and repair in most or all of the following areas:  cabinet-grade carpentry; woodcarving; metal fabrication (arc/tig/mig welding, plasma cutting, oxy-acetylene torch operations, pneumatic tools); foundry process (lost wax process, foam displacement process, furnace and burnout kiln, patina processes); plaster (armature construction, direct carving); mold-making (plaster, rubber): ceramics (water and oil based clay sculpting, slip-casting, electric kiln firing). Knowledge of contemporary art, experience in setting up exhibits and/or creating works of art preferred; excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills. 

Knowledge of audiovisual equipment and digital imaging techniques

Work experience in gallery related preparation/installation

This position requires evening hours on a regular schedule (2 evenings per week until 9 p.m.).

Reports To: 

Chair of the Art Department

As a part of your application materials, a resume and cover letter are required. Information about how to submit the application documents can be found