Princeton University Art Museum seeks an experienced Registrar to support the department with exhibition and loan activity and who thrives in a collaborative and goal-oriented environment. Reporting to the Chief Registrar, the Registrar will have responsibility for outgoing international loans, as well as responsibility for three or more assigned exhibitions per calendar year—one or more of which may travel to several national and/or international venues. They will work closely with our curators, exhibition project managers, preparators, conservators, and other registrars and must be able to interact with borrowers, lenders, insurance representatives, and shipping and transport agents.

About the Museum:

With a collecting history that extends back to 1755, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country, with collections that have grown to include more than 113,000 works of art ranging from ancient to contemporary art and spanning the globe. Committed to advancing Princeton’s teaching and research missions, the Art Museum also serves as a gateway to the University for visitors worldwide.

To learn more about the Princeton University Art Museum, visit artmuseum.princeton.edu.

The Registrar will generate all related documents and will approve—in consultation with others—and arrange all packing, courier, transportation and installation details for between 10 – 25 objects per year. Other duties may include working with our conservators to assess works of art and the ability of that art to travel, as well as reviewing and negotiating foreign insurance policies and indemnity summaries and Borrower facility reports. The Registrar selects, debriefs and coordinates courier activity, including acting as a courier when required. The position also arranges and maintains the long-term outgoing loans program, which includes loans on campus and in the Princeton area. The Registrar will create, maintain and archive outgoing international loan and long-term outgoing loan files.

Exhibitions

The schedule consists of exhibitions generated by the Museum’s curators and University faculty, as well as touring exhibitions organized by other institutions. The position will be responsible for assigned loan exhibitions from the formal exhibition proposal approval through the close of the last venue. Duties will include all aspects of exhibition-related incoming loans of works of art, including arranging all crating and transportation, budgeting for the registrarial portion of the exhibition (ranging from $50,000 to more than $500,000), and coordinating contract personnel (such as mount makers). The successful candidate will also be responsible for insurance arrangements and working with exhibition project managers on exhibition contracts. The position will generate loan agreements, condition reports, and insurance certificates, manage receipts and other financial documents; create and track invoices; and maintain complete and accurate records.

Incoming Loans (Non-Exhibition)

The position will generate loan agreements, condition reports, insurance certificates, receipts, and other documents; maintain complete and accurate records in the Museum’s electronic collections management system (The Museum System®); coordinate all packing, transportation, courier, and other logistical arrangements; and initiate and coordinate systematic long-term loan renewals. The position will also be responsible for monitoring the budget for loans.

Essential Qualifications:

• Previous experience shipping loans and/or exhibitions domestically and
• Ability to create and track invoices and develop and monitor a
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks and meet competing deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Confidence in managing budgets
• Experience with relational databases, especially The Museum System (TMS)
• BA with a minimum of 4-6 years of verifiable experience in museum registration and
• Detail-oriented and self-motivated with excellent communication and problem-solving
• Knowledge of current best practices and standards in the field (including art handling, packing and shipping).
• Strong orientation towards collaborative and often complex work assignments
• Strong computer skills: expert facility with MS Office, including Word, Access, Excel, and
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Experience acting as a courier with
• Experience with digital photography and Photoshop

• MA in Art History, Museum Studies or related field strongly preferred