Registrar

Description

The Contemporary Austin is hiring a full-time Registrar to join the Exhibitions department and oversee all aspects of the care, maintenance, transportation, and record keeping of art in the permanent collection and exhibitions programs. The Registrar advises on standard museum practices for artwork safety and care in the museum’s facilities, security, shipping, and packing and contributes to department budget planning and tracking.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Oversee all aspects of incoming and outgoing shipment for all loaned artworks works for major exhibitions, as well as long-term loans and permanent works at both The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center and The Contemporary Austin – Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria. Review packing and shipping estimates and options with Director of Exhibitions Production to offer cost-effective solutions while maintaining museum practices for artwork safety and care.
• Monitor legal and ethical compliance and care standards for all collection transactions (accessions, deaccessions, copyright, loans, insurance, and consignments).
• Create, administer, and manage all loan agreements, artwork transit receipts, image rights/reproduction agreements, license agreements, artwork condition reports, insurance waivers, general facility reports, collection management policy, and updated all forms as laws change. Consult with Chief Curator and Assistant Curator on contracts on commission agreements.
• Weekly rounds and oversight of outdoor sculpture collection at Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria. Consult and work with contract art conservators to evaluate and maintain works requiring larger conservation efforts. Obtain proper approval and documentation from all lenders and artists for artwork conservation. Work with Director of Exhibitions Production and head preparator to maintain outdoor sculpture at Laguna Gloria and create metrics for evaluating conservation priorities for permanent collection and loans.
• Manage complex artwork database tracking permanent collection, and all objects in exhibitions organized by The Contemporary Austin. Maintain metadata standards for database, archives, image files, and other archival content.
• Assist Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs and Assistant Curator with provenance research on objects in the collection to promote good stewardship and accurate archiving of the collection.
• Manage image rights & reproduction for exhibition projects, including museum publications, in collaboration with Assistant Curator.
• Conduct an annual inventory of the collection and manage the fine art insurance coverage. Process insurance reports and claims as needed.
• Create and monitor security policies at all museum sites for each exhibition. Meet with security supervisors on regular basis to confirm security needs and consult operations managers to ensure standards for artwork at each location are up to date. Field any questions regarding artwork security issues.
• In collaboration with Exhibitions Department, develop and manage project budgets, inputting, tracking, and monitoring budget numbers and purchase orders.

Requirements

• MA in Art History, Conservation, Museum Studies, or comparable work experience
• Minimum three years’ museum registration experience preferred
• Knowledge of current registration practices, including museum ethics and art law
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with and/or interest in working with living artists and contemporary art
• Knowledge of artwork databases (preferably ArtBase), Adobe suite, Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Teams)
• Ability to represent the museum with a high level of integrity and professionalism
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and flexible, with excellent analytic, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work productively in a collaborative environment and adapt to a dynamic and changing setting
• Valid Texas driver’s license