Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art – Museum Studies

Job Title: Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Bentonville, AR

Salary: $44,100-$66,100

About Crystal Bridges & The Momentary:
Crystal Bridges is a museum of American art located in Bentonville, Arkansas. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding works that illuminate the American heritage and artistic possibilities. Founded by Alice Walton in 2005, the museum opened in 2011 and is a public, non-profit charitable organization with free admission.

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.

Position Summary:
Under general supervision of the Associate Registrar, Exhibitions, the Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions is responsible for registration functions related to temporary and traveling exhibitions hosted or organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary (“CBMO”).

The Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions will coordinate exhibition logistics for in-house exhibitions, as assigned, including those which develop into traveling exhibitions. The position is responsible for incoming loans, packing, transit, storage, and insurance.

Principal Responsibilities:

Coordinate loan, packing/crating, shipping and courier logistics for in-house and traveling exhibitions.
Work closely with Curatorial and Exhibitions Management staff to plan for exhibitions (reviewing checklists, collection object commitments, security, exhibition layout and design regarding safety and lender requirements). Work with Curatorial staff to secure loans from museums and private lenders.
Coordinate loan, packing/crating, shipping and courier logistics for in-house and traveling exhibitions.
Enter incoming loan data into TMS (Museum’s collection database).
Perform incoming and outgoing condition reports for artwork on loan to exhibitions and the collection. Prepare condition reports and packing and installation notes and instructions for traveling exhibitions.
Communicate lenders’ requirements for conservation, installation, and security and ensure requirements are met.
Oversee exhibition installations and deinstallations at CBMO and tour venues including safe handling, installation and condition-checking of artwork.
Assist Associate Registrar, Exhibitions with registration functions for other temporary exhibitions at Crystal Bridges and The Momentary.

Additional Responsibilities:

Support Crystal Bridges collections management activities including inventory and cataloguing.
Assist with duties pertaining to incoming loans to the collection.
Provide registration support for the Crystal Bridges reinstallation and expansion.
Act as courier, as assigned, to accompany exhibitions and loans worldwide.
Keep apprised of approved and current museum registration standards as well as basic conservation guidelines for the care and handling of artworks.
Complete special projects as assigned and provide general support to the exhibitions-focused registration team, as well as the department at large.
Complete all other duties as assigned within the scope of responsibility and skill required for the job.

Qualifications and Skills:

Education, Training, and Traits:

Degree from accredited college or university required, with course work in art, art history, museum studies or related field.
Knowledge of American Art, and a familiarity with artists’ materials required.
Knowledge of art handling standards.
Ability to understand and maintain the highest levels of confidentiality.

Work Experience:

Minimum two years work experience in museum registration, exhibition-related preferred or equivalent.
Experience using complex collections database applications, The Museum System (TMS) preferred.
Assists with researching, recommending and implementing new protocols.
Continues professional development to expand knowledge and become an authority on best practices and standards in the field.

Licenses and Certifications:

Valid driver’s license with clean driving record required
Ability to obtain valid passport

Skills and Abilities:

Ability to exercise discretion.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strong attention to accuracy and detail.
Ability to multi-task and think critically.
High degree of organization and self-motivation, including ability to take initiative, anticipate actions needed, and exercise independent judgment.
Excellent problem-solving, organization and time-management skills.
Excellent interpersonal and communications (both written and verbal) skills.

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 working at a desk and utilizing a computer for prolonged periods of time and good eye/hand coordination. Vision abilities required by the job include close vision. Position requires use of hands to safely handle and move collection objects according to the most current approved museum standards. Position periodically requires standing for prolonged periods of time. Position requires occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds to a height of five feet for the purpose of accessing or storing library or art-related collections objects. While traveling with art, position requires sitting in trucks for extended periods over long distances.
Work Environment: The majority of work will be performed in an office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Work requires independent travel as a courier to accompany exhibitions and loans worldwide. Occasional weekend, evening and night work hours also required.

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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.