Registrar & Manager, Collections at MIT List Visual Arts Center

Job Title: Registrar & Manager, Collections

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Cambridge, MA

Salary: $63,860- $106,915

MIT Job Description

The MIT List Visual Arts Center, MIT’s contemporary art museum, oversees the Institute’s permanent collections of contemporary and modern art through three distinct, world-class art collections. The Registrar & Manager, Collections is a highly independent role that serves as the custodian of these wide-ranging collections and spearheads database management and registration duties.

The Registrar & Manager, Collections is primarily responsible for overseeing the care and welfare of the Institute’s Campus Art Collection, totaling over 4,000 works, most of which is publicly sited throughout the Institute. Through the Campus Art Loan Program, artwork from our Campus Lending Collection is made available to Administration, Faculty, and Staff offices, so that the MIT campus itself serves as a museum.

This position is also responsible for the management of the Student Lending Art Collection. Through its associated lending program, the Student Lending Art Program (SLAP), MIT students borrow original works of art each academic year. This position will oversee the care and maintenance of this collection and provide support to the Exhibitions Registrar as needed on the logistics of the lending program and annual exhibition. This position will consult on the conservation needs of the Institute’s third collection, Public Art, which are sited across campus and are primarily managed by a separate position within the List Center.

Details of the role’s duties specific to each collection are outlined below:

Campus Art Loan Program

  • Work with MIT Faculty and Staff on selecting objects from the Campus Lending Collection to be installed throughout campus; administer loan agreements and fees.
  • Work with List Center senior management to determine and implement loan periods and conservation schedules to ensure best practices.
  • Make or coordinate site visits to campus offices on a rotating basis to evaluate security, environmental conditions, and see if artwork will be appropriately sited.
  • Oversee installation/deinstallation logistics across campus with Preparator and/or contracted art handlers.
  • Arrange for (re)framing, when necessary.
  • Conduct annual physical inventory of artworks throughout campus to monitor condition, verify location, and connect with staff borrowers.
  • Work with MIT’s Campus Construction and Facilities to coordinate the deinstallation, storage, and reinstallation artworks for major building renovation projects.
  • Work with List senior management and external affairs teams to execute a new public-facing website for the collection while maintaining the comprehensive archive of works.

Student Lending Art Collection

  • Oversee selection of works (approx. 500) eligible for lending.
  • Acquisition 10-20 new works annually [via Accession Worksheet, Deed of Gift, Incoming Receipts, Condition Reports, Recording Secretary Memorandums, Gift-in-Kind forms, Artist Questionnaires, and other documents as needed]; and oversee all shipping logistics, framing, photography, and database entry.
  • Liaise with galleries and artists to identify availability of possible acquisitions.
  • In concert with Registrar, Exhibitions, condition check works returning from SLAP and monitor conservation needs; oversee conservation as needed.
  • As needed, work with IS&T [Information Systems and Technology] on managing the online lottery interface and website.

Public Art Conservation and Collections Management

  • Consult on projected or responsive conservation needs and costs for proposed Percent-for-Art commissions and ensure maintenance is adhered to with support from Preparator, Campus Collections.
  • Work with Public Art Manager to identify public art conservation short term and long-range priorities and fundraising needs.

General Responsibilities

  • Uphold and implement standards for collections management and data entry for the entirety of the List’s collected works.
  • Manage a Campus Collections Preparator and temporary installer staff related to ongoing collections preparatory needs.
  • Oversee conservation and collections-related budgets alongside List Center senior management, providing fiscal oversight for permanent
  • artworks.
  • Provide oversight on outgoing loans:
    • With Director and Curator, determine lend-ability of works (with additional conditions of loan) requested by other institutions.
    • Review facility reports of prospective venues in advance of signed agreements, and make recommendations to further ensure the safety of loans
  • Manage coverage and renewals of artwork insurance policies
    • Submit annual insurance art risk distribution reports for permanent and public art collections for the Office of Insurance.
    • Research collections valuations and update database valuation records.
  • Oversee artwork storage (offsite and on-site), including annual audits of costs, use, and needs.
  • Handle all image licensing and rights where required for collection representation (online/in print).
  • Exhibition registration support (on occasion, as needed).

More information about the List Center and this position can be found here, To apply, visit this link and enter job id: 24264

Requirements

Qualifications

  • 4+ years fine art or related registration and/or collections management experience
  • Knowledge of current and emerging trends in relating to art collections and collection management; best practices for data entry and reporting statistics is highly desirable
  • Ability to work proactively and independently with strong organizationa and administrative skills
  • Proven experience with collections management databases (TMS Embark; Collector Systems) as well as proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat
  • BA required; MA in arts administration or art-related field desirable 

How to Apply

Apply via AAM