Job Listing: Museums Registrar

Apply - Application instructions and information about Washington and Lee University can be located at https://www.wlu.edu/employment-opportunities. 

Summary - The Museums Registrar is responsible for coordinating the registration needs of the Museums at W&L, particularly wholistic record-keeping and documentation including legal arrangements for acquisitions and deaccessions, the administration of incoming and outgoing loans (for exhibitions, campus display, research etc.), rights and reproductions requests, securing art transportation/shipping arrangements, and securing the insurance coverage of objects, on site and in transit.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs and working closely with the Collections Manager, the Registrar plays a central role in advancing policies and procedures for the museum’s permanent collections and exhibition programs, aligning them with the Museums’ strategic goals and objectives. The Registrar is also a key member of the Museums’ collaborative exhibition and programmatic teams and will be charged with contributing to the planning, scheduling, and implementation of exhibitions (including in-house projects utilizing the permanent collections, partner collaborations, and loan exhibits).

The Museums at W&L are committed to the development of an inclusive environment and we strive to advance diverse perspectives and approaches in carrying out the mission of Washington and Lee University.

Job Responsibilities -

• Manages registrarial activities to grow and maintain the permanent collection such as acquisitions paperwork and documentation of incoming and outgoing loans. Liaison with various University departments involved in donor stewardship, including but not limited to Development, Advancement, and Special Collections and Archives.
• Contributes to the implementation and documentation for the Museum’s at W&L’s Campus loan program in collaboration with the collections team. Coordinates staff, faculty and departmental representatives to ensure loan paperwork for the program is up to date and renewed annually, as appropriate.
• Creates and reviews legal documents including loan agreements, invoices, shipping contracts and receipts, etc. for exhibit projects.
• Coordinates with collections, curatorial and exhibition team members, university departments and faculty, and/or outside vendors to implement successful exhibitions, assisting with packing, art shipping & insurance, storage, and installation as needed.
• Contributes to Collections Management tasks alongside the Collections team, including the Collections Manager, the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, and student workers and/or interns. Tasks may include maintenance of collection storage spaces, collections processing, CMS data entry, object movement, annual inventorying, identifying conservation needs, and the migration of collections information online for public use.
• Ensures legal, ethical, and professional standards for the collection by reviewing paperwork, advising staff, and addressing Museum policies and procedures as needed.
• Supervises a staff of non-exempt employees, students, and contractors or vendors.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications -

• BA/BS required; MS or MA in Museums Studies, Art History, Material Culture, Decorative Arts, Anthropology, Archeology, or related field preferred.
• A minimum of five years of registration and/or collection management experience, particularly experience managing the legal documentation and oversight of museum permanent collections and loan programs.
• Candidates with eight or more years of progressively responsible registration experience may be considered for the role at a level with additional seniority and pay.
• Experience overseeing the care and preservation of diverse collections of fine and decorative arts and material culture. Extensive knowledge of collections management best practices. Art-handling experience required.
• Must have the breadth of experience and expertise to manage registration activities for the fullest range of historical, modern, and contemporary artwork types and be comfortable working with collaborators beyond Museum staff, including guest curators, external contractors, and vendors.  
• Experience with collections management databases is required, with Rediscovery Proficio experience preferred.
• Knowledge of museum ethics and the legal regulations governing collecting are required.
• Ability to thrive in a team environment is critical, along with good communication skills and commitment to maintaining standards of professionalism.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail are required as is manual dexterity and the ability to multi-task
• Ability to lift to 25-50 lbs. required.  
• A valid driver’s license is required. Ability to operate a vehicle.

About the Museums at W&L - 

The mission of the Museums at Washington and Lee University (MWL) is to advance learning through direct engagement with the collections and facilitate an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture. MWL consists of three sites: the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, the University Chapel & Galleries, and the Watson Galleries, and over 15,000 objects in three primary collections: the Art Collection, the Reeves Collection of Ceramics, and the History Collection.    

The Art Collection, which numbers about 8,000 objects, originated in 1875 with a bequest of six portraits. During the last 150 years it has expanded to include: 16th to 21st century paintings from Europe and the Americas, including a significant collection of early American portraits related to the Washington, Custis and Lee families of Virginia; works on paper from the 18th to 21st centuries; and a small collection of American photographs and sculpture. The art collection also includes a significant number of 19th and 20th century East Asian prints, scrolls, paintings, and decorative arts, as well as an evolving body of contemporary works by traditionally underrepresented artists from around the globe. Select artists include Elizabeth Catlett, Fernando Botero, William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam, George Inness, Sally Mann, Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Rufino Tamayo and Andy Warhol. 

Also included are works by American artist Louise Herreshoff Eaton, a classically trained painter inspired by French and American Impressionism, Post Impressionism, and Fauvism. In 1967, Herreshoff and her second husband Euchlin Reeves (WL Law ’27) gave the university a gift of 2,000 ceramics (including paintings by Louise) that has grown significantly with gifts, bequests, and purchases. Ranging from 4,000-year-old Chinese pots to contemporary bowls for the Japanese tea ceremony, the Reeves Collection of Ceramics includes about 6,000 objects composed of earthenware, stonewares and porcelain. It is one of the most noted collections of Chinese Export porcelain in the nation, and also includes British, Continental European, American, and Japanese Export ceramics made between 1500 and 1900. Today, it is expanding to include contemporary ceramics that broaden the context and interpretation of the original collection. 

The History Collection, which numbers about 2000 objects, highlights W&L’s institutional history and includes academic portraits and material culture, as well as a legacy collection related to the university’s 11th president, Robert E. Lee, and his family. 

To expand on successes, four strategic goals have been identified for the Museums at W&L in the coming years:  

Enhance the visibility and impact of the Museums.  Facilitate greater discovery and usage of the collections.  Present high-quality exhibitions and programs that demonstrate relevance.    Build capacity to deliver on our mission. 

Through dozens of permanent and rotating exhibitions, as well as education and research opportunities for faculty, students, and visiting scholars and artists, MWL inspires an understanding and appreciation of arts, history, and culture. For more information on Programs and Exhibitions, visit:  

• https://www.wlu.edu/arts/museums/visit/exhibitions/ 

• https://www.wlu.edu/arts/museums/visit/events/ 

About Washington and Lee University:  

Washington and Lee University (W&L) is a small liberal arts college nestled in the Virginia mountains, with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 1,860. W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the U.S., a top-ranked private university located in Lexington (pop. 7,000), a vibrant and picturesque town in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  

To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to foster an inclusive campus community, which recognizes the value of all persons regardless of identity. Along with the University, Museums at W&L is committed to contributing to an educational environment that is rich with cultural, social, and intellectual diversity.