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  • Employer: The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA

Description:

The Associate Registrar, Loans and Exhibitions, Art Museum is responsible for all aspects of loans and exhibitions for the Art Museum and may be called upon to work on similar duties for other divisions at The Huntington. The position will report to the Head of Registration and Collections and will work closely with the Head of Preparations, Head of Exhibition Management, Art Information Specialist, Associate Registrar for Permanent Collections, Registrar for Loans and Exhibitions, Library, and Exhibitions Coordinators, Risk Managers, and will collaborate with curatorial staff across the institution.

Responsibilities: 

Incoming Loans:

  • Handling all arrangements with regards to borrowing artwork from institutions and private lenders. This includes drafting relevant correspondence, preparing loan agreements, providing facilities reports and other requested documents, negotiating loan terms, maintaining lender contact, arranging for the transport of artwork, making insurance arrangements, and creating and maintaining paper and electronic documentation files and object records, as per best practices.

  • Physically receiving all loans to the Art Museum and arranging for their safe temporary storage pending installation in galleries.

  • Overseeing unpacking, installation, and re-packing of loans and preparing packing notes.

  • Preparing condition reports.

  • Making arrangements for couriers accompanying loans to The Huntington.

  • Working with conservators on condition reports and installations.

Outgoing Loans:

  • Coordinating communication between borrowers, Art Museum staff, Conservation staff, Preparation staff, craters, and shippers to facilitate the lending of Huntington Art Museum collections to domestic and international institutions.

  • Ensuring that all loan agreement documents have been properly executed.

  • Preparing condition reports and packing notes for outgoing objects

  • Maintaining contact with Registrars at borrowing institutions regarding loan request status and shipping arrangements.

  • Working within TSA guidelines for shipping artwork

Exhibitions:

  • Work as lead registrar on many but not all exhibitions.

  • This includes managing object checklist, drafting relevant correspondence and preparing loan agreements, providing facilities reports and other requested documents, negotiating loan terms, maintaining lender contact, arranging for the packing and transport of artwork, making insurance arrangements, creating and maintaining loan documentation files and object records, both paper and electronic, as per best practices.

  • Creating and managing registrar’s object checklist. Updating and distributing this information to various staff and contractors where applicable. Applicable information will include installation and conservation requirements, frame and mount requirements, security requirements.

  • Creating and managing the installation and de-installation schedules for exhibitions of various sizes in the galleries across campus. This includes facilitating appropriate installation supplies and daily supervision and collaboration of preparator activity within the gallery for installation.

  • Overseeing loan installations and de-installations and generating condition reports and packing notes.

  • Working with Curatorial and Risk Management staff to prepare and track applications for US Indemnity.

  • Preparing budget estimates for registration aspects (packing, transportation, courier, loan fees, conservation, framing and mounts, preparation) for Exhibitions at onset of proposed project. Tracking, monitoring and managing registration budget through implementation of exhibition working closely with exhibition management staff.

  • Working within TSA guidelines for shipping artwork.

  • Making arrangements for couriers accompanying loans to The Huntington.

  • Working with conservation staff on condition reports and installations.

  • Manage arrangements for artwork for touring exhibitions from our institution, other institutions and private lenders. This includes loan agreements, working with exhibition coordinators on venue agreements, packing and transportation, installation and deinstallation schedules, travel arrangements for registrar and accompanying couriers, requirements of installation for artwork at borrowing venues. This includes traveling with exhibition and acting as courier when required.

Database Administration:

  • Ability to maintain loan and exhibition records in The Museum System (TMS).

General Departmental Duties:

  • Draft relevant section of Board of Art Governors and Trustees reports.

  • Provide general departmental support.

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