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  • Employer: Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, California, USA
  • Posting Closes: September 30, 2022

The Riverside Art Museum is looking for a talented Registrar interested in joining an energetic and fast-paced environment at a growing non-profit art museum. 

The Registrar will provide general oversight for documentation and care of the Museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, building on the museum’s long-standing role as a resource and cultural center for the surrounding community. The Registrar will be responsible for management of collections records and database including temporary loans, and management documentation for permanent collection, incoming, and outgoing artworks, and applying best practices to the work of the museum. This position requires precise attention to detail, strong communication and analytical skills, as well as the abilities to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to work collaboratively and diplomatically.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

  • Manages collections records and database, including accessioning/cataloguing of new acquisitions of all works of art and ensures completion of all appropriate documentation, inspection and documentation of objects entering and leaving the museum, including but not limited to incoming/outgoing loan forms, facility reports, insurance, and shipping
  • Liaison directly with lenders to ensure a smooth lending process for temporary exhibitions
  • Oversees production of and manages object image files and other media and integrates into the collection management system; generates reports from the database as needed; liaison with artists and estates for copyright permissions
  • Participates in establishing data standards; develops and expands the museum’s digital assets, including history, provenance, status, condition, location, and insurance of each object; establishes consistency in nomenclature and terms
  • Works with Museum staff and recommends, develops, and implements necessary collections management policies and procedures for storage, galleries, and external loans
  • Working closely with Facility Rentals Manager to assess safety protocols in the galleries, establish security measures during special events, and proper training of museum staff
  • Monitors art storage and exhibition spaces for temperature/humidity, environmental hazards, safety, and cleanliness
  • Handles inventory audits; helps identify works requiring conservation treatment and coordinates their conservation
  • Perform a detailed inventory of all items in the collection annually
  • With art preparator, be responsible for proper object handling and for instructing/supervising other staff members, researchers, interns, and volunteers on proper procedures
  • Monitor the condition and environment of objects in storage and on exhibit, rotating sensitive objects off exhibit as needed
  • During acquisition review, research the object, determine its fit within the collection, ensure there are available resources for its care, and establish object’s provenance; corresponds with artists, estates, and galleries regarding acquisition.
  • During acquisition review, research the object (research in local libraries, online databases, and other archives), determine its fit within the collection, ensure there are available resources for its care, and establish the object’s provenance.
  • Begin the accession process by carefully examining the object and classifying it based on the institution’s specific guidelines and given a unique identifying number, tying it to all related records; measure, photograph, and describe in a detailed condition report.
  • Supervises museum collections registration interns.
  • Assists with the creation of the Chicanx Collections Fellowship
  • Assists with preparation, packing, and shipping as needed
  • Participates in the annual collection’s insurance renewal process
  • Assists with preparation of Facilities Report and annual update
  • Follows museum best practices in all work for the museum

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