Registrar

Description

Job Summary

The Registrar leads registration activities supporting The Baker Museum's ambitious schedule of 12-15 exhibitions annually, a growing permanent collection more than 3,500 artworks, and an active program of acquisitions and domestic and international loans. The position oversees the documentation, movement, and stewardship of artworks, ensuring the highest standards of care, accountability, and preservation in a fast-paced, exhibition-driven environment. Working collaboratively with artists, lenders, museums, couriers, and internal teams, the Registrar plays a critical role in delivering exhibitions while advancing The Baker Museum's reputation for excellence and the multidisciplinary mission of Artis-Naples.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned)

• Coordinates 12-15 exhibitions/installations per season, including coordination of packing and shipping arrangements for objects, creating crate lists/labels for incoming and outgoing loans.


• Manages artwork loans, ensuring the accurate coordination of documentation, insurance, shipping, transportation, and lender communications.

• Oversees the preparation, review, and maintenance of registration and legal documentation for the permanent collection, accessioning, deaccessioning, exhibitions, and loans, including condition reports, loan documentation, insurance, shipping, courier logistics, transportation, and object tracking, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, lender requirements, and professional museum standards.

• Oversees the preparation, review, and maintenance of legal and registration documentation for acquisitions, including deeds of gift, purchase and transfer documentation, receipts, and other collections records.

• Coordinates the movement, packing, transportation, installation and deinstallation of artwork in collaboration with museum staff, cross-departmentally and external partners, ensuring compliance with museum standards and lender requirements.

• Oversees the integrity of the museum's collections management database (TMS), ensuring accurate object, exhibition, loan, location, shipping, constituent, and digital asset records.

• Maintains collections inventories, object location control, environmental monitoring and storage practices to support the long-term preservation and stewardship of the permanent collection and artwork in the museum's custody.


• Coordinates collections photography and oversees the management of digital image assets, rights and reproductions, licensing requests, copyright documentation, and digital asset records in accordance with institutional policies.

• Develops, implements and maintains registration procedures, forms and documentation standards that support efficient collections management, exhibition operations and compliance with AAM best practices.

• Assists in the development and implementation of emergency preparedness, disaster response, and long-term collections care procedures, integrating preventive conservation and risk management practices into all registration activities.

• Builds trust and respect in a team-centric department and maintains effective working relationships across departments and with external partners.


• Perform other duties as assigned in support of museum operations.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience
Education/Experience

• Bachelor's degree in museum studies, fine art, art history, history or other relevant discipline with experience in administrative work, object handling and database knowledge essential.

• 3-5 years of experience in museum collections management, including cataloging, inventory, and object handling, with expertise in art handling, storage, and transportation best practices, and a strong knowledge of museum registration methods per the American Alliance of Museums.
Skills & Abilities

• Principles and practices of museum exhibit installation and deinstallation

• Loan scheduling and coordination techniques

• Knowledge of legal processes for the acquisition and disposal of art

• Budget and fiscal management processes and procedures

• Effectively communicate with others both internally and externally in producing desired exhibitions

• Knowledge of non-profit copyright and fair use laws

• Knowledge of art/museum security systems and procedures

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and TMS Collections required, knowledge of SmartSheet, Sketchup and Conserv preferred

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work requires physical activity; handling of objects that can weigh up to 50 pounds (or greater mass that require mechanical assistance). Standing or walking may occur up to 75% of time.
Work Environment

The work environment is consistent with general office conditions, with moderate noise followed by long spans of installation in the museum, with exposure to vibrations, noise, electrical connections and outdoor weather conditions. Long periods of standing, exposure to chemicals associated with the conservation and production of works of art.
This position description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

To apply: