MUSEUM REGISTRAR – Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

Colorado College is seeking applicants for a Museum Registrar to join the creative team in the Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. This is a full-time 12-month staff position reporting directly to the Museum Director.

Located in the vibrant city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the foot of Pike’s Peak, Colorado College (CC) and the Fine Arts Center share a rich history. CC is a highly selective and nationally-ranked liberal arts college, known for innovative teaching, and attracting students nationally and internationally. Founded in 1936, the Fine Arts Center is an interdisciplinary arts institution, home to a museum, an art school, and a professional theater. The Fine Arts Center’s Museum houses over 20,000 objects of fine art and material culture and is an actively acquiring institution. While, the collection represents the art of the Americas broadly, strengths are in 20th-century American art and historic and contemporary art of the Southwest, including a renowned collection of Native American and Spanish Colonial/Nuevomexicano art. The Museum hosts an active exhibition schedule across media in gallery spaces of 30,000 sq. ft. The alliance between the Fine Arts Center and CC joins the strengths of the two institutions to offer a rich array of arts opportunities for the Colorado Springs community, the CC campus, and the larger region of southern Colorado and the Southwest.

The Museum Registrar will be a key member of the Fine Arts Center Museum staff, joining an ambitious and collaborative team of 12 professionals. The Registrar is responsible for providing leadership and vision to the Museum Collections department, overseeing all activities related to the museum’s collection (including acquiring, documenting, maintaining, caring for, and lending objects). As well, the Registrar is responsible for the performance of registration functions relative to temporary exhibitions (including loan agreements, condition reports, insurance, and transit arrangements) and actively manages the care and preservation of objects owned by other institutions that are on loan to the Museum. The Registrar works closely with the Curatorial, Exhibit, and Educations teams in planning and with the Museum Director on grants, reaccreditation processes, and strategic decisions. The Registrar supervises a departmental budget, two staff members, interns, and volunteers. Collaboration and teamwork are essential to this position, as are commitments to embracing new and innovative ideas for best practices in museum work. The Registrar will have the opportunity to enter into teaching collaborations with Colorado College faculty, under the direction of the Director of Academic Engagement. Colorado College offers a competitive salary and benefits package, that is commensurate with experience.

Colorado College offers a comprehensive package of benefits and competitive salaries. As a leading institution in higher education, we strive for inclusive excellence in access to and development and delivery of outstanding learning opportunities. We support the success of the diverse community of individuals who teach, learn, and work at the college. We pursue the equal opportunity of individuals to fully participate in our mission.

Colorado College is an equal opportunity employer committed to increasing the diversity of its community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, gender identity or expression, disability, or sexual orientation in our educational programs and activities or our employment practices.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the head and principal representative of collections department; establish vision and goals for department; set priorities;
• Develop and maintain museum policies and procedures relating to collections that conform to national standards and best practices;
• Act as liaison to the college’s office of insurance and risk management;
• Prepare agreements for outgoing and incoming loans, special exhibitions or permanent installation of objects;
• Arrange and manage all shipping arrangements;
• Supervise collections staff;
• Oversee budget for collections department;
• With the support of the collections staff, maintain proper documentation of all museum objects and acquisitions;
• Serve as courier;
• Participate in teaching and demonstration opportunities as requested;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with fellow employees, volunteers, students, faculty, and general public. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in museum studies, art history, anthropology, or related field or equivalent experience
• a minimum of five years of museum registration experience, including a minimum of two years in a management or leadership capacity;
• knowledge of current policies and standards on collections care and management,
• demonstrated experience with legal and ethical standards for museums, including fair use, copyright, provenance, and accessioning and deaccessioning processes, as well as insurance practices for fine arts;
• knowledge of archival storage and art handling best practices, as well as conservation assessment protocols and exhibitions organization;
• demonstrated skills at departmental budgeting, management and supervision, and fostering teamwork and collaboration.
• Proficiency with relevant computer software programs;
• excellent oral and written communication skills;
• excellent organizational and intercultural skills;
• good judgment and ability to handle confidential/sensitive information with discretion;
• ability to think critically and solve problems;
• ability to operate standard office equipment and use small hand tools.
• Physical requirements include ability to lift, carry, push/pull objects up to 50 pounds, including rare objects; good vision (close, distant, color and peripheral).

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience in college teaching;
• knowledge of museum theory and practices;
• knowledge of The Museum System database.