Job Listing: Assistant Registrar, Art Handling

Name of Organization – Colonial Williamsburg 

Williamsburg, VA

Closes – Until Filled

Title – Assistant Registrar, Art Handling

Compensation – $20/hour with benefits

Type – Full-Time

Apply – Assistant Registrar, Art Handling | MUSEUM, PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION & RESEARCH (ultipro.com) 

Summary – The Assistant Registrar, Art Handling is responsible for protecting and preserving The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s irreplaceable cultural assets by utilizing best museum practices in handling, moving, packing and storage for the Foundation’s collections.  This position works closely with registrars, curators, conservators and museums staff to organize and move collection objects within and outside the Foundation, receive and ship objects with contract art shipping companies and institutional lenders, inventory collections, train staff on safe packing, handling procedures, and moving collection objects, maintain receiving spaces and vehicles used for art transport and communicating verbally and in writing. 

Responsibilities – 

1.  Coordinates and leads teams of colleagues to plan, install and de-install collections objects into the Historic Area Buildings and in exhibits at the Museums which includes moving fragile and heavy furniture both antique and modern and other collections objects.
2. Packs collections for travel in collections vehicles within and outside of the Foundation including soft packing and crating in addition to designing support and containers for transport and storage of collections.
3. Resolves complex packing, transportation and installation arrangements as they arise for objects using accepted museum practices.
4. Serves as lead courier to transport collections safely and responsibly within the Foundation, to and from lenders, dealers and auction houses that may require out-of-state travel.
5. Coordinates complex shipping and receiving logistics of antiques and obtains fine art shipper quotations. Condition reports objects using accepted museum practices and assists registrars with completing incoming and outgoing object receipts.
6. Assists registration staff with annual collection inventories.
7. Develops safe object moving training program with collections and conservation staff and conducts annual training for collections and conservation employees.
8. Drives collections vehicles (Sprinter, box truck and van).  Manages care of collections vehicles including coordinating regular maintenance, stocking them with specialized art handling equipment and supplies, outfitting them for transport of collections objects, and keeping detailed vehicle records.
9. Maintains well-organized, maintained and clean receiving room, loading dock and storage areas including an inventory of tools and supplies. Ability to use hand tools and power equipment necessary for collection handling preparation in a museum setting.

Qualifications – 

• Required: BA or BFA in related field and 2 years of collections experience in art handling, packing and installation and museum registration methods or high school diploma or G.E.D. with 7 years of practical experience.
• Preferred: BA or BFA degree in related field and knowledge of 18^th and early 19^th century fine art and decorative arts and American folk art.
• Ability to safely move antiques including heavy furniture using preferred best museum practices.
• Art handling skills including good manual dexterity.
• Must have a Virginia issued driver’s license or be able to obtain one shortly after hiring date.
• Knowledge of best practices and professional standards for collections care, packing and handling, condition reporting and collections inventory.
• Knowledge of packing and storage materials and supplies appropriate for use with museum collections.
• Demonstrated interest in art and historic artifacts and sensitivity to the significance and special needs of museum collections.
• Ability to communicate effectively and follow instructions orally and in writing.
• Work cooperatively and productively as a member of a team; demonstrated ability to work independently and problem solve as needs arise; demonstrated patience and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in the use of a computer, including basic word processing and collections management software

About – Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on-site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.