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- Employer: Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Overview
The Speed Art Museum is Kentucky’s largest art museum with a collection that spans 6,000 years of human creativity. An independent museum located on the campus of the University of Louisville, the Speed has recently undergone a multi-phase expansion and renovation that includes a new North Building, state-of-the-art Cinema, Art Park and a public piazza. The Speed Art Museum has repeatedly been voted Kentucky’s best museum and is considered one of the top ten sites each Kentuckian should visit. The Speed honors its mission to bring great art to our communities through its distinguished collections and as the Commonwealth’s number one venue for international art exhibitions.
The Speed welcomes diverse candidates for this and all open positions.
Job Skills / Requirements
Responsible for all aspects of collections record-keeping for both the permanent collection and for loan materials. Responsible for ensuring the safety of works of art within the building and during transit. Responsible for implementing policies and procedures related to collections management.
- Oversees the care, management, receipt, accessioning, and documentation of objects acquired for the Museum’s collections, adhering to current industry standards and best practices. Ensures the safe handling and security of the collection by overseeing and managing the movement, storage, and disposition of art objects. Conducts regular inventories of the collection.
- Manages incoming and outgoing loans and temporary exhibitions, including development of loan agreements, adherence to exhibition contracts, condition reporting, photo and archival documentation, and related cataloguing information. Oversees all shipping arrangements, including the coordination of packing, unpacking, and crating of objects. Coordinates couriers from the Museum, lending, and borrowing institutions.
- Works to ensure the Museum has clear title to works in its collection, maintains customs and international import documentation, processes abandoned loans according to Kentucky state law, and ensures compliance with State, Federal, and International laws and treaties.
- Manages fine arts insurance liability, negotiates insurance renewals, and maintains insurance coverage. Supervises and administers the coordination of insurance on incoming and outgoing loans. Processes liability and damage claims.
- Oversees and manages TMS, the computerized collections management system for the Museum. Ensures the accuracy and completeness of collections records and recommends data standards.
- Plans, organizes, directs, and executes the work of the Registrars’ office. Supervises registration staff.
- Develops, monitors, projects, and oversees the registration budget.
- Coordinates photography of the collection and ensures that digital media is uploaded to TMS. Oversees rights and reproduction permissions for the collection.
- Working with Curators, oversees deaccessioning of selected works from the collection according to the Collections Management Policy, as required. Documents the deaccessioning process, including Board of Trustee approval and sale or transfer of works of art. Coordinates disposition of deaccessioned works of art. Coordinates sale and disposition of unaccessioned works of art as required.
- Advises the Museum on legal and tax matters relating to bequests and gifts of art, accessions, estate planning, and co-ownership agreements of works in the collection. Advises the museum on ethical and risk-management issues.
- Advises the Museum on collections-related facility issues. Works with Facility Director to ensure that environmental standards are maintained. Provides for proper storage of artworks in the Museum’s care according to professional museum standards. Makes recommendations for storage planning.
- Participates in the development of policies and procedures related to collections management and care. Develops, maintains, and implements the Collections Management Policy and procedures. Drafts, maintains, and implements registration procedures, documents, legal forms, and acknowledgements. Maintains up-to-date Facilities Report.
- Participates in the planning and organization of installation schedules for temporary and permanent installations and art movement in consultation with Curators, Preparators, and Exhibition and Project Coordinator.
- Performs related work as required.
