Collections Manager/Registrar | San Antonio, TX

Texas Association of Museums; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 58,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, TX seeks a Collections Manager/Registrar to steward the permanent collection and items in temporary custody. You will manage registrations, documentation, and movement of objects, and supervise staff and interns while coordinating with curatorial and exhibitions teams.

The role emphasizes acquisitions, accessioning, deaccessioning, loans, shipping, insurance, and compliance with professional and museum standards.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in American and Western American art, history, and culture preferred.
• More than three years of museum registration and/or collections management experience.
• Proven ability in collections management and registration.
• Experience with collections management software.
• Knowledge of handling, conservation, loans, and deaccessioning procedures.

Responsibilities

• Manages day-to-day care, documentation, organization, and accountability of the permanent collection and objects in temporary custody.
• Administers acquisitions, accessioning, deaccessioning, loans, and other collections transactions.
• Maintains and advances collections-management database accuracy, backups, and security.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Team player

Education

Advanced degree

Tools

Collections management software

Digital imaging software

Job description

Collections Manager/Registrar| San Antonio, TX

Briscoe Western Art Museum
San Antonio, Texas

Reports To: Director of Curatorial Affairs, Collections and Exhibitions
Fair Labor Standard Act Status: Full-time, Exempt, and Salaried

Department: Collections

Annual salary range: $58,000 - $64,000 (commensurate with experience)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Collections Manager/Registrar reports to the Director of Curatorial Affairs, Collections and Exhibitions and is responsible for the professional stewardship, documentation, care, movement, and legal and administrative management of the Museum's permanent collection and objects in its temporary custody.

The position manages all registration and collections-management activities, including acquisitions, accessioning and deaccessioning; incoming and outgoing loans; object documentation and cataloguing; condition reporting; collections database and object files; inventories; storage; art handling; packing and crating; domestic and international shipping; insurance; rights and reproductions; and collections access.

The Collections Manager/Registrar works closely with the Director of Curatorial Affairs, Collections & Exhibitions as well as the Exhibitions Manager and other Museum staff in the planning and implementation of permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibitions and ensures that objects in the Museum's custody are managed in accordance with established professional, ethical, legal, and institutional standards.

The position supervises collections staff, contract registrars, interns, and other temporary personnel as assigned. Approximately 50% of the position's effort is devoted to temporary and changing exhibitions, 40% to the permanent collection and permanent exhibitions, and 10% to administration.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Collections Stewardship and Documentation

• Manages the day-to-day care, documentation, organization, and accountability of the Museum's permanent collection and objects in temporary custody.
• Administers acquisitions, accessioning, deaccessioning, incoming and outgoing loans, temporary custody, and other collections transactions in accordance with the Museum's Collections Management Policy and applicable professional standards.
• Creates, organizes, and maintains complete and accurate physical and digital object records, including deeds of gift, purchase documentation, loan agreements, condition reports, provenance and ownership documentation, insurance records, shipping records, photography, conservation documentation, and related correspondence.
• Maintains accurate intellectual and physical control of collections, including object identification, location tracking, movement records, inventory, and reconciliation.
• Conducts and coordinates periodic inventories of the permanent collection, collection storage, and objects installed in permanent and temporary exhibitions.
• Maintains and advances the Museum's collections-management database, including data standards, controlled vocabulary, digital assets, record accuracy, data cleanup, reporting, and appropriate backup and security procedures.
• Assists with provenance research and documentation and identifies ownership, legal, ethical, or cultural-property issues requiring further review.
• Coordinates access to collections for staff, researchers, scholars, lenders, photographers, and other approved users.

Collections Care and Risk Management

• Oversees appropriate storage, handling, movement, installation, and preventive care of objects in the Museum's custody.
• Monitors collections environments and works with appropriate Museum staff and outside specialists to address temperature, relative humidity, light exposure, pollutants, pests, storage conditions, and other potential risks to collections.
• Coordinates conservation assessments and treatment with qualified conservators and maintains associated documentation.
• Participates in the development, implementation, and regular review of the Museum's Collections Management Policy, collections procedures, emergency preparedness and disaster-response procedures, and related collections-care plans.
• Works with facilities, security, and other staff to identify and mitigate risks to objects on exhibition, in storage, and in transit.
• Assists with emergency preparedness and collections-recovery planning and participates in collections-related emergency response when necessary.
• Maintains appropriate standards for integrated pest management and collections housekeeping in storage and exhibition areas.

Loans, Exhibitions and Transportation

• Manages all registration aspects of incoming and outgoing loans, including loan agreements, facility reports, certificates of insurance, condition documentation, lender requirements, renewals, and return arrangements.
• Coordinates logistics for domestic and international fine-art shipments, including transportation, packing and crating, customs documentation, insurance, security, couriers, permits, and other applicable requirements.
• Selects and coordinates qualified fine-art shippers, art handlers, craters, conservators, and other collections-related vendors.
• Serves as courier or coordinates courier arrangements when required by the Museum or lender.
• Participates in planning and implementation of permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibitions, including object checklists, loan documentation, installation schedules, condition reporting, packing/unpacking, object movement, installation and deinstallation.
• Works collaboratively with curatorial and exhibitions staff to evaluate object suitability, conservation requirements, display conditions, security, mounts, casework, and installation requirements.
• Coordinates the safe receipt, unpacking, condition examination, installation, deinstallation, packing, and return of borrowed objects.

Insurance, Legal and Ethical Compliance

• Administers fine-art insurance documentation and works with Museum leadership, lenders, brokers, and insurers regarding coverage, certificates, valuations, claims, and risk management.
• Ensures collections-management activities comply with applicable Museum policies and relevant local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations.
• Maintains awareness of professional standards and applicable requirements concerning provenance, cultural property, import/export and customs regulations, copyright and intellectual property, and repatriation or other culturally sensitive collections matters.
• Identifies potential legal, ethical, provenance, title, or ownership concerns and brings them to the attention of Museum leadership for appropriate review.

Rights, Reproductions and Research

• Processes and documents research, image, rights, and reproduction requests in accordance with Museum policies and applicable copyright restrictions.
• Maintains accurate records concerning copyright, licensing, reproduction permissions, image rights, and other intellectual-property information associated with the collection.
• Supports scholarly research related to the Museum's collection and exhibitions and contributes to collections documentation, catalogues, publications, and other Museum projects as appropriate.

Administration and Leadership

• Develops and manages collections-management budgets and assists with forecasting expenses related to conservation, storage, shipping, insurance, supplies, equipment, and collections projects.
• Supervises and provides direction to collections staff, contract registrars, interns, and temporary personnel as assigned.
• Develops, documents, and maintains registration and collections-management procedures and workflows.
• Serves as staff liaison to the National Western Art Foundation Collections & Exhibitions Committee, preparing materials and collections documentation as required.
• Maintains productive professional relationships with lenders, donors, artists, galleries, museums, conservators, fine-art shippers, insurers, customs brokers, vendors, and other institutional partners.
• Participates in departmental and institutional planning and supports Museum-wide initiatives as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in an area of the museum’s specialization, American and Western American art, history, and culture, is preferred;
• Proven ability in collections management and registration;
• Superior organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to problem-solve within budget restrictions and tight deadlines;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Detail-oriented team player;
• More than three years of museum registration and/or collections management experience;
• Demonstrated knowledge of current registration practices and principles, including management of collection documentation records, digital image collection standards, rights for reproduction procedures, preservation standards, art handling and installation techniques, fine art insurance, packing, crating, and shipping standards, procedures for works of art, and deaccessioning;
• Evidence of scholarly research and writing;
• Experience with collections management software;
• Experience with digital photography, scanning, and imaging software;
• Knowledge of techniques of selection, evaluation, preservation, restoration, and exhibition of artworks; and
• Knowledge of current market, collecting ethics, and current customs regulations in the area of collecting by the museum.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Position requires periods of physical activity, including lifting at least 25 pounds and pushing 75 pounds with the assistance of a cart. Occasional evenings, weekends, and holiday work is required.