Registrar

International-Arts-; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance (medical, dental, and

Retirement plan (403b)

Paid time off (vacation/sick/holiday)

Cultural memberships (museums/theaters

Transit benefits

Job summary

International Arts and Artists seeks a Registrar to manage the logistics of touring exhibitions, coordinating with the Vice President of Exhibitions and Project Managers to safeguard artworks during all tour phases, including shipping, storage, installation and deinstallation.

The role requires 5 years of museum experience, a BA in a relevant field, knowledge of international travel regulations, budgeting, and strong writing skills. Hybrid position in Washington, DC with occasional travel.

Qualifications

• BA in fine arts, art history, museum studies, or archaeology, or equivalent.
• 5 years of professional museum experience in collections management or registration.
• Experience with international regulations for traveling artwork.
• Understanding of museum standards and best practices for care and handling.
• Experience handling, packing, and moving artworks of varying size and weight.
• Excellent writing skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work independently or with teams.
• Experience with exhibition budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Independently manages requirements for approximately 7-9 traveling exhibitions.
• Collaborates with VP of Exhibitions and Project Managers on planning and development.
• Acts as point of contact for lenders, curators, and venues for each exhibition.
• Determines object and logistical needs during development and tour duration.
• Creates and monitors exhibition budgets; coordinates with finance.
• Drafts and reviews exhibit partner agreements and venue contracts.
• Reviews facility reports, venue notes, and COIs.
• Creates and approves exhibition checklists, crate lists, and packing notes.
• Oversees conservation needs of objects during exhibitions.
• Coordinates shipping domestically and internationally with multiple estimates.
• Travels as exhibition courier and arranges travel for staff and lenders.
• Contributes to a culture of learning, collaboration, and community engagement.

Skills

Attention to detail

Excellent writing

Strong interpersonal skills

Education

BA in fine arts, art history, museum studies, or archaeology or equivalent

Tools

Articheck

Monday.com

Google Drive

Slack

Job description

The Registrar plays an essential role within the department. Working in coordination with the Vice President of Exhibitions, Registrars, and the Exhibition Project Managers, the Registrar is responsible for managing all logistics of past, current, and future touring exhibitions, while ensuring the care and well‑being of the artworks during all phases of the tour. Registrar tasks range from finalizing object and crate checklists to managing exhibition budgets to traveling to venues as a designated IA&A courier. The Registrar is a primary contact for IA&A exhibitions in transit and manages logistics with a high level of professionalism, adhering to industry standards and best practices as well as IA&A's expectation of providing superior customer service. The Registrar also serves as the primary logistical contact for all venues for their exhibitions. This responsibility includes: shipping, storage, installation/deinstallation, condition reporting, conservation, insurance, etc.

Duties and responsibilities

• Independently manages requirements for approximately 7-9 traveling exhibitions from early development through dispersal
• Works directly with Vice President of Exhibitions and Exhibition Project Managers to support planning and development of new exhibitions
• For each exhibition, acts as the point of contact for the lender, curator and/or venue
• In collaboration with stakeholders and Exhibition Project Managers, determines object and logistical needs of exhibition during development and throughout the duration of the tour
• With Vice President of Exhibitions, creates exhibition budget and monitors costs, assists with department budget planning, maintaining, forecasting and continually updates anticipated expenditures; coordinates with finance department to ensure numbers align, forecasts are accurate and significant expenditures are anticipated in advance
• In collaboration with Vice President of Exhibitions, drafts and reviews exhibit partner agreements, loan agreements, and venue contracts
• Reviews facility reports, venue condition notes, and COIs
• Creates and approves exhibition checklist, crate lists, condition reports, packing notes, and installation manual for each exhibition for distribution to venues
• Oversees conservation needs of objects in exhibitions before, during, and after exhibitions
• Coordinates shipping for exhibitions, domestic and international, securing multiple estimates from fine arts shippers
• Coordinates packing/crating, customs brokerage, insurance, courier arrangements, and exhibition consolidation and dispersal
• Travels as exhibition courier, multiple exhibitions, multiple annual trips and arranges non-lA&A staff courier/lender travel
• Participates in a positive organizational culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement

Qualifications

• BA in fine arts, art history, museum studies, or archaeology or equivalent
• 5 years of professional experience working in a museum setting, in collections management or registration services
• Experience and knowledge of international regulations for traveling artwork
• Comprehensive understanding of museum standards and best practices specifically as they pertain to care, handling and management of collections
• Trained and experienced in handling, moving, and packing works of art of varying size, weight, media, and complexity
• Excellent writing skills and attention to detail
• Understanding of museum exhibitions and how they are generally organized
• Demonstrated ability in exhibition budgeting
• Demonstrated success at meeting deadlines and achieving performance goals
• Ability to handle complex situations with caution and professionalism. Strong interpersonal skills, client oriented with ability to balance with needs the needs of the organization
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively and accept direction and supervision relative to assigned task
• Desire to work in a small, highly entrepreneurial, mission-driven, non-profit organization
• Experience working in Articheck, Monday.com, Google drive, slack experience a plus

Compensation

The starting salary range for this position is $60,000-70,000 per year depending upon experience.

• health insurance (medical/dental/vision)
• retirement plan (403b)
• paid time off (vacation/sick/holiday)
• cultural memberships (museums/theaters)
• transit benefits

Working conditions

International Arts and Artists is located in the historic DuPont Circle neighborhood in Washington, DC. This is a hybrid position. The incumbent is expected to work in the Washington, DC headquarters on a regular basis, with an in-office presence at least 2-3 days a week. Occasional travel and evening/weekend obligations will be expected.