Assistant Registrar at Crystal Bridges
Job Title: Assistant Registrar
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Bentonville, AR
Salary: $41,000 to $46,000
Position Summary
Under general supervision of the Head Registrar, the Assistant Registrar is responsible for registration functions related to collection activation, exhibitions, incoming/outgoing loans, campus art and other initiatives of Crystal Bridges and the Momentary (“CBMO”).
The Assistant Registrar will help coordinate logistics for artwork related to art activations and initiatives (including loan paperwork, packing, transit, storage, insurance, and installation/deinstallation arrangements) in conjunction with the Director of Art Management, Head Registrar, and other internal and external stakeholders.
Position’s Principal Responsibilities
· In collaboration with the Head Registrar, Registrar of Collections, Curatorial staff, Collection Preparators, and contract conservators, ensure proper care, preservation and display of objects in the collection and on loan.
· Assist with securing incoming loans from institutional and private lenders (in conjunction with Curatorial staff) and organizing outgoing loans from the collection. Coordinate loans agreements, packing, transit, courier and insurance arrangements, and prepare condition reports.
· Provide support to collection registrars with recordkeeping, unpacking, condition reporting, intake and photography of large acquisitions.
· Provide support to exhibition registrars with exhibition installation and deinstallation oversight, including unpacking/packing, safe handling, condition-checking of artwork.
· Assist Director of Art Management, Head Registrar and Exhibition Project Managers to develop budgets and timelines for art activations, initiatives, and exhibitions. Monitor expenditures to ensure compliance with budgets.
· Provide reports and statistics as requested and on a regular basis for Executive Leadership and Board of Trustees.
Additional Responsibilities
· Support Crystal Bridges collections management activities including data entry, inventory, cataloguing, and care and maintenance of the collection.
· Provide registration support for the Crystal Bridges reinstallation and expansion.
· Act as courier, as assigned, to accompany exhibitions and loans worldwide.
· May serve as a supervisor to interns and volunteers.
· Keep apprised of current registration standards, basic conservation guidelines for the care and handling of artworks, and field developments using collections data.
· Provide general support to the collections and exhibitions teams, as well as the department at large.
· Complete all other duties as assigned within the scope of responsibility and skill required for the job.
Minimum Qualifications
Education, Training, and Traits
· Bachelor’s degree required, with course work in art, art history, museum studies or related field
· Knowledge of current information management standards, including filing and record keeping
· Familiarity with museum object cataloguing standards
· Proficiency with Microsoft 365 suite
· Strong interpersonal, organizational, writing, proofreading and analytical skills, with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to multi-task
· Flexible and adaptable
· Strategic thinker who enjoys problem-solving
· Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment
· Ability to understand and maintain the highest levels of confidentiality
Work Experience
· Minimum two (2) years of experience in museum registration
· Proficiency with using a relational collections database required, The Museum System (TMS) experience preferred
· Work experience with a digital asset management system (DAMS) preferred
Licenses and Certifications
· Valid driver’s license with clean driving record required
· Ability to obtain valid passport
Physical Demands and Work Environment:
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
§ Physical demands: Position requires verbal and written conversation with others, sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching and climbing. Position requires utilizing a computer for prolonged periods of time and good eye/hand coordination. Vision abilities required by the job include close vision and color perception. Position requires use of hands to safely handle and move collection objects according to current museum standards. Position periodically requires standing for prolonged periods of time.
§ Work Environment: Work will be performed in an office environment, galleries and art storage as well as being outside for extended periods during installation of outdoor art. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Strong communication skills and ability to interact politely and effectively with a wide range of staff, database support providers, and external parties seeking information about the collection or digital assets will be required. An employee in this position must be able to effectively utilize museum communications systems. Ability to travel periodically as a courier to accompany exhibitions and loans worldwide required. Occasional weekend, evening and night work hours also required.
About Crystal Bridges
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding American art. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and chair of the museum’s board of directors, Alice Walton.
Since opening to the public on 11-11-11, the museum has welcomed more than 5 million visitors and garnered 15,000 membership households. Some 280,000 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost.
Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house the galleries and amenities such as a restaurant, museum store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. In addition to the museum’s architecture, a Usonian house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was preserved, acquired, and moved to the museum grounds in 2015, and a rare Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome was installed in 2017, both providing access to American architectural masterworks in a natural setting.
Sculpture and walking trails link the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. A new entrance, elevator tower, and pedestrian bridge was added to the north side of the building in 2017, increasing access to the museum’s north lawn and newly enhanced North Forest Trail. More than 600,000 visitors a year utilize the museum’s five miles of walking trails.
Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American artworks from early American to the present, and is always free to view. Crystal Bridges is committed to telling broad and inclusive stories by acquiring and showcasing the highest quality works by artists underrepresented in art history and conventional museum frameworks. Works such as Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington, and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed are displayed alongside contemporary artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Maya Lin, Fritz Scholder, Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith, Felix Gonzales-Torres, and Amy Sherald represent some of the finest achievements in American art. The collection continues to grow, while the museum also offers temporary exhibitions that complement the collection and can also reveal art’s connections to equality and justice.
Crystal Bridges provides year-round programming for all ages. In 2019, more than 800 public programs and events were offered, including lectures, performances, classes, and continuing education for K-12 teachers. Crystal Bridges stays connected online with the full collection available via eMuseum, an award-winning app, a podcast called Museum Way, all available for free, and many of the museum’s lectures such as the Distinguished Speaker Series are on Crystal Bridges’ YouTube channel. An online-learning initiative provides opportunities for students and teachers with arts-based courses, as well as SmartHistory with arts history videos and essays. Crystal Bridges also offers two research fellowship programs. The Tyson Scholars in American Art program encourages and supports full-time scholarship that seeks to expand boundaries and traditional categories of investigation into American art and visual culture. The Reese Teacher Fellowship provides for research into the development of interdisciplinary connections between American art and core curriculum subjects of language arts, history, social studies, and the sciences. In addition, Crystal Bridges administers the awarding of the Don Tyson Prize, an unprecedented award recognizing significant achievements in the field of American art. Additional information about Crystal Bridges is available online at CrystalBridges.org.
About the Momentary
The Momentary is a new contemporary art space that opened to the public on February 22, 2020, in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. A satellite to Crystal Bridges, the Momentary presents visual, performing, and culinary arts. The mission of the Momentary is to champion contemporary art’s role in everyday life and explore the unfolding story of contemporary American arts in an international context by actively commissioning and exhibiting outstanding works that explore new ideas and inspire action. The Momentary was founded by the Walton family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. The Walton Family Foundation is supporting this project as a way to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. The Momentary welcomes all with free general admission. Additional offerings include an artist-in-residence program, culinary experiences including an Onyx Coffee Lab, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an outdoor festival space, and a gift store. For more information, visit theMomentary.org. The Momentary is located at 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
TO APPLY
Click the following link to apply: Careers
All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement and background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States on your first day of work.
Crystal Bridges is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.