Registrar at the Anchorage Museum
Job Title: Registrar
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Anchorage, AK
Salary: $60,000 – $65,000
Anchorage Museum Registrar
The Anchorage Museum sits on the traditional homeland of the Eklutna Dena’ina. The Museum is committed to recognizing and honoring the land, culture, and language of the Dena’ina people. We recognize and respect the continuing connection, by Alaska Native people and all Indigenous people, to the land, waters, and communities.
Our mission is to be museum for people, place, planet, and potential, in service of a sustainable and equitable North, with creativity and imagination for what is possible. We are a place of ideas and transformation, narratives and perspectives, resilient and relevant communities, responsive to a rapidly changing world toward a better future for all.
We welcome diverse perspectives and recognize all are enriched when a diversity of voices, viewpoints, and skills are included and engaged in the work we do.
Summary Position Statement
Under the supervision of the Senior Collections Manager, this position is responsible for all aspects of registration for all loan items from the Museum’s collection as well as outside institutions and individuals . This position assists with Museum-organized traveling exhibitions, object packing for travel, and monitoring of all loans while in the museum building, ensuring coordination and management in accordance with industry standards and best practices. The incumbent also coordinates with and assists museum staff on exhibition projects and planning.
Occasional travel (3 hours or more) by plane, van, or truck escorting loans and exhibitions may be required as well as extended work hours, including evenings and weekends, during times of exhibition installation and de- installation, and/or to provide support for incoming couriers, shipments and loaned objects.
Essential Functions
- Acknowledge that museums are not neutral, and the field must intentionally and regularly revisit assumptions, approaches, and practice to promote a more equitable and inclusive practice
- Administer and maintain all aspects of incoming and outgoing loans, including all registration records for legal documentation, correspondence with borrowers/lenders, shippers, and customs agents
- Perform associated registration activities including packing, data management, courier travel, and coordination of insurance coverage
- Maintain best practices for fine arts packing, object handling, storage, lighting, and other environmental standards, etc.
- Act as main point of contact for partnering institutions, organizations, and individuals regarding object loans
- Negotiate loan agreement terms and review all loan agreements for compliance with Museum standards and best practices
- Work with Senior Collections Manager to coordinate and manage loans storage and condition reporting; maintain all loan storage in accordance with museum and industry standards.
- Assist with installation and de-installation of exhibitions
- Participate in exhibition planning, including budget management, logistics planning and schedule management as assigned
- Determine museum fine arts insurance requirements and negotiate necessary coverage, in consultation with the Deputy Director, Conservation and Collection.
- Prepare, update, and maintain Museum General Facility Report and insurance reports
- Monitor climate and light levels in galleries and Museum spaces; coordinate with Chief Conservator to ensure accordance with published regulatory standards
- Travel with exhibitions and loans as assigned
- Receive and release shipments to meet shipping schedules, as required
Non-Essential Functions
- Provide staff and intern training on collections and loan processing best practices
- Assist with providing access to objects in public spaces, exhibitions, programs, as well as digitally through new media and other public forums
- Respond to inquiries regarding the collections, as needed.
- Performs other duties as assigned
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- Demonstrated knowledge of museum standards and procedures, including methods of handling, packing, shipping, storage, and installing/deinstalling art and cultural belongings
- Demonstrated knowledge of collections registration and accessioning processes
- Demonstrated knowledge of and expertise with collection management software and reports, TMS and Crystal Reports preferred
- Strong organizational skills and ability to effectively manage multiple projects
- Excellent time management, problem solving, and analytical skills with attention to detail
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to work with BIPOC communities
- Ability to assess priorities and work well under pressure
- Ability to work well with diverse groups of Museum stakeholders
- Ability to advocate for and support public access and collaboration in museum collections
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets
- Must have current driver’s license and willingness to drive museum vehicles
Qualifications
We recognize and honor that the qualifications required to excel in this position can come from a range of both professional and lived experiences. In the job description we describe what we believe to be important qualifications for a candidate to have while remaining open to the diversity of experiences that can lead to these skill sets. Recognizing that We strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work and believes they have what it takes to thrive in this role to apply.
Employee Expectations
As a Museum employee, the incumbent is expected to model the following traits:
- Foster and maintain open communication and collaboration
- Actively engage in the exchange of ideas and maintain constructive relationships
- Engage with the public and internal/external stakeholders as collaborators
- Initiative and creativity in all aspects of the position
- Lead by example in maintaining a high standard of professional ethics and conduct
- Treat everyone with dignity and respect
- Support and uphold the policies, procedures of the Museum
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required.