Registrar for Exhibitions and Database Management at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Job Title: Registrar for Exhibitions and Database Management
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary: $53,140 – $69,080
Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The MCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates may be contacted for interviews. However, due to the high level of interest in positions, the MCA contacts only a small percentage of applicants. Please submit your resume as either a PDF or Word document.
To Be Successful In This Role, You Must
We have an opening for a Registrar for Exhibitions and Database Management to join the Collections and Exhibitions team at MCA Chicago. Reporting to the Senior Registrar for Loans and Exhibitions, the Registrar works closely with Registrars, Preparators, Exhibition Project Manager, Director of Collections and Exhibitions Management, and Curatorial staff to organize, execute, and document in-house and touring exhibitions and works directly with the Museum’s donors, lenders, and borrowers to carry out related logistics. The position is also responsible for the management of the MCA’s art collection database The Museum System (TMS).
- Manage assigned exhibitions including, but not limited to correspondence and agreements with lenders and vendors to arrange, document and meet requirements for packing, shipping, insurance, conservation, and condition reports; courier arrangements; security and billing related to assigned projects; attend associated meetings.
- Manage TMS database to input, organize, track, and account for all artworks in the collection, exhibitions, loans to the museum, and related data.
- Manage staff training in TMS; draft workflow procedures and timelines for data-entry and departmental responsibilities pertaining to exhibitions in TMS.
- Develop new TMS Crystal Reports and maintain standards for existing TMS Crystal Reports.
- Manage the logistics for MCA exhibition tours, when applicable, including compiling and updating a shared cost tour budget, checklists, venue information and traveling with the exhibition when the tour is determined; assist Director of Collections and Exhibitions with tour management as needed; invoice venues for fees and shared costs.
- Work closely with Preparators to successfully install and deinstall exhibitions; hire, schedule, and oversee contract registrars and/or conservators when needed during exhibition turnovers.
- Create and closely monitor budgets for each assigned exhibition including collecting estimates, tracking actuals, flagging potential overages, and offering solutions to stay within budget while maintaining best practices.
- Serve as international and domestic courier for MCA collection works and MCA exhibitions as assigned.
Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills And Abilities
- Bachelor’s Degree in art, art history, or related field or equivalent experience.
- Five to seven years of registration experience including managing in house and traveling exhibitions.
- General knowledge of post-1945 art and familiarity with artists’ materials as well as experience working with living artists.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Reading knowledge of a foreign language.
- Adept at TMS/Gallery Systems, Crystal Reports and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to stoop, kneel, stand for long periods of time, and bend on a frequent basis; good vision.
- Ability to perform occasional lifting and moving art works as required.
- Ability to travel and participate in transportation of artworks and to withstand various temperatures during the loading and unloading of works of art.
$53,140 – $69,080 a year This is a full-time position, with a regular schedule of Monday – Friday 9a-5p that will occasionally include evening and weekend availability as required to fulfill responsibilities and for related museum activities. Ability to operate computers, printers, and telephones and general mobility throughout all museum properties required.
Interested? APPLY NOW https://mcachicago.org/About/EmploymentP.S.
The MCA provides a generous benefits package that includes: health, dental, and vision insurance; paid vacation and personal days; free life, AD&D, short term and long term disability insurance; retirement plans; discounted parking; pre-tax transportation programs; visiting the MCA’s galleries; curator led staff tours of MCA exhibitions; discounts at the MCA Store and MCA restaurant Marisol; discounts for MCA Stage and other programs; plus a wide variety of discounts at many cultural institutions in the Chicagoland area.
As part of our commitment to providing a healthy and safe place for our employees and visitors, the MCA is requiring employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against COVID-19 within the first week of employment. If a vaccination is not possible, a request for a medical or religious exemption can be made with Human Resources.
The MCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. In addition, we aspire to make the MCA community and our environment – staff, audiences, artists, programs, and exhibitions – reflective of the diversity of the city of Chicago and to capture the spirit of access, inclusion, and equity in all we do. We strongly encourage and welcome applicants from our BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA communities as they must be centered in the work we do. If you have any difficulty using our online system and you need an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at: jobs@mcachicago.org .