Preparator II

Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery; San Marino (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The Huntington is seeking a Preparator II to join the Preparation Department, supporting the installation, packing, and care of artworks for exhibitions and rotations. The role collaborates with Registration, Exhibitions, and Preservation teams to ensure museum standards are met.

You will oversee object handling, packing, and display mounting, and you may lead training for apprentices while contributing to regular department meetings. A strong background in art preparation is essential.

Qualifications

• Three to four years of experience in preparation, collections management, and installation in a gallery or museum setting.
• Expertise in industry standard materials, processes, equipment, and safety protocols.
• Excellent working knowledge of installation methods required.
• Proficiency in mounting, matting, framing of works on paper.
• Extensive experience using heavy equipment (scissor-lift, gantry, pallet jack).

Responsibilities

• Assist with object preparation and installation/de-installation of exhibitions and gallery rotations.
• Handle and pack artworks and assist curators in gallery placement.
• Perform mounting, matting and framing tasks for works on paper.
• Create or modify display mounts and case risers; conduct minor carpentry as needed.
• Maintain exhibition lighting and A/V elements per standards; monitor equipment.

Skills

Preparation

Collections management

Installation

Heavy equipment operation

Tools

FileMaker

TMS

Excel

Job description

About Us

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

The Huntington

Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

The Culture

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do - from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond. Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies.

At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity.

Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture.

Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community.

Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community.

Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection.

Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles.

Job Description

About the Role

The Preparator II is a member of the institution's Preparation Department, under the Registration and Collection Management Department. This position is integral in the consistent planning and implementation of the Institution's schedule of special exhibitions, permanent collection rotations, and collections care. This position is part of a team of preparatory staff. The position's primary responsibility is to assist in all handling, display preparations, installation, packing, storage and care of artworks according to museum standards. Reports to Head of Preparations.

Essential Duties

• Assists with object preparation, installation/de-installation of exhibitions, gallery rotations, and collection rehousing projects, working with colleagues in the Registration, Exhibitions, and Preservation department. Related duties will include, but are not limited to:
• Receiving, unpacking and packing artworks
• Assist curators in placement of artworks in galleries
• Handling and installing artworks and collections objects
• Hinging, matting and framing artworks
• Generating profiles and schematics for display mounts (book cradles, slants)
• Creating or modifying display mounts and case risers/buildups
• Performing carpentry work such as retrofitting crates and modifying pedestals
• Spackling and painting
• Lighting exhibitions, to Curatorial and Preservation standards
• Monitoring and maintenance of exhibition lighting and A/V elements
• Performing regular gallery dusting and cleaning
• Assisting with buildouts of historic painting frames
• Organizing supplies and communicating resupply needs
• Driving art preparation vehicles to transport art on and off campus
• Attending and occasionally leading in-house training workshops in Huntington object prep procedures
• Providing guidance to Broad DAP apprentices during their placement at The Huntington
• Attending regular departmental meetings
• Attending object review meetings and consulting with Preservation Dept. on object prep needs
• Providing input to supervisors and colleagues on preparation and installation methods
• Sharing project status information with supervisor and colleagues
• Accessing FileMaker and TMS databases for object information
• Updating object preparation status via Excel
• Tracks and communicates object location changes

Candidate Requirements and Experience

• Three to four years of experience in preparation, collections management, and installation in a gallery or museum setting.
• Expertise in industry standard materials, processes, equipment, and safety protocols.
• Excellent working knowledge of installation methods required.
• Proficiency in mounting, matting, framing of works on paper.
• Extensive experience using heavy equipment, including scissor-lift, gantry, pallet jack, peda