Collection Registrar

Position Summary

The Mott-Warsh Collection (MWC) is seeking a Collection Registrar to oversee the day-to-day preservation and management of objects and archives in its fine art collection. The registrar’s responsibilities include accessioning and documenting acquisitions, maintaining electronic and physical records, inventory, storage, monitoring condition of objects, and safeguarding objects from damage, either physical or environmental. The position also manages collection loans, including shipping and packing, condition reporting, and inventory control. The registrar participates in art handling and the movement of objects throughout MWC facilities, working alongside curatorial staff and preparators to ensure best practices are maintained throughout all aspects of installation and deinstallation processes. This is a full-time position reporting to the MWC Director, Curator, and Collection Educator. The position will also work cooperatively with other MWC staff on tasks relating to exhibitions and programming at MW Gallery, located nearby.

The MWC manages many tasks with a small staff. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent communication and problem-solving skills and will be willing to work to increase their knowledge of the art and artists represented in the collection and fulfill the goals of the MWC. All duties shall be performed according to MWC policies and procedures, and guidelines prescribed by the American Alliance of Museums.

Essential Responsibilities

Collection Documentation

• Manages electronic database (PastPerfect Museum Software), and documentation files related to the collection, loans, and exhibitions.
• Receives and catalogues new acquisitions; maintains catalogue records, both digital and paper; maintains collection archives.
• Digitizes collection images for inclusion in database.
• Performs periodic software upgrades and database system migrations; assesses need for metadata development; maintains collection data integrity.
• Ensures accuracy and consistency in the recording of all collection-related material, including location tracking and condition reporting of collection objects.
• Conducts inventory of the collection.
• Catalogues books and periodicals for the MWC Research Library and ephemera for artist files and collection archives.
• In consultation with the collection curator, responds to information requests, both internal and external.

Exhibitions and Loans

• Tracks loan requests; prepares loan documents and ensures adherence to established MWC policies.
• Schedules and coordinates shipping and receiving of art; completes condition reports on all incoming and outgoing artwork.
• Assists in art movement for exhibitions, storage, and photography; packing preparation of outgoing art loans; receives and unpacks returned loans.
• Assists art preparators with the installation of exhibits at MW Gallery and local community venues.
• Courier as needed.

Collections Care

• Monitors and participates in establishing the proper care and safekeeping of all art in the MWC.
• Routinely inspects, cleans, and maintains artwork in gallery and art storage spaces.
• Performs inspections and condition checks of art loans at local venues.
• In tandem with the collection curator, assesses, organizes, and assists in the procurement of appropriate storage containers and compartments for artworks.
• Monitors climate control and environmental conditions of collection exhibition and storage spaces and reports any deviances.
• Assists the collection curator in securing conservation services for damaged or unstable art objects.
• Collaborates with the collection curator to establish disaster planning procedures.

General

• Conducts research, compiles data, and disseminates information related to exhibition projects; occasional label writing.
• Schedules and supervises access to artwork by visiting scholars, interns, and students.
• Trains and supervises support staff and interns performing collections management related tasks.
• Periodically assists with evening and/or weekend installations/deinstallations and special events.
• Complies with MWC and MFO Management Company policies and procedures.
• Other tasks as needed.

Requirements

Education/Experience

• BA degree in art history, museum studies, arts management, or library science.
• Minimum of two years’ experience in collections management, preferably in a fine art museum.

Knowledge/Skill/Ability

• Proficiency in using PastPerfect 5.0 Museum Software, or similar Collections Management Systems.
• Working knowledge of the concepts, principles, and best practices of collections management including knowledge of art media, object handling/packing/shipping methods, and preservation and maintenance of objects.
• Experience in the management of contracts and insurance documents associated with art loans and traveling exhibitions.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Highly organized and strong analytical skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Competencies in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Adaptability to changing priorities and working on multiple projects.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team; willingness to take initiative.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse workspace and community.
• Ability to stand, climb ladders, bend, stoop, and lift up to 40 pounds.
• Valid Michigan driver’s license.
• Resident of Genesee County (preferred).

About the Mott-Warsh Collection:

The Mott-Warsh Collection is a privately owned, publicly shared fine art collection comprising over 1100 works by artists of the African diaspora and those who reflect on it. Artists represented in the collection include post-World War II masters, such as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Betye Saar, as well as contemporary visionaries, such as Nick Cave, Simone Leigh, Wangechi Mutu, Hank Willis Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, and Kehinde Wiley. Collectively, they cover a wide range of media: drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video, and sound.

The collection was established in 2001 by Maryanne Mott and her late husband, Herman Warsh, in her community of origin, Flint, Michigan. Their primary intent was to bring art into non-traditional venues where it could be encountered by people as they went about their daily lives. They formed community partnerships with institutions that had an interest in making the collection visible to their memberships, clients, visitors, and participants. Today, rotating exhibits of Mott-Warsh Collection art can be found in the public library, churches, health clinics, local colleges and universities, and the MW Gallery. The collection also lends to internationally and nationally touring museum exhibitions.

The Mott-Warsh Collection offers a competitive salary and benefits, commensurate with experience.