Associate Registrar

Description

The Noguchi Museum—chartered as Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum—was founded and designed by acclaimed artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) for the display of his life’s work. Opened in 1985 and located in Long Island City, Queens, in a converted industrial building with a serene outdoor sculpture garden, the Museum is considered to be one of Noguchi’s greatest achievements. Today, the mission of the Museum is to advance the understanding and appreciation of Noguchi’s art and legacy. It manages the world’s most extensive collection of Noguchi’s artworks in addition to his complete archives and Catalogue Raisonné. Through its rich collection, exhibitions, and programming, the Museum facilitates scholarship and learning for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The Noguchi Museum is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, disability or any other criterion specified by federal, state or local laws, in the administration of its employment policy. The Museum considers the diversity of its workforce to be vital to our organization’s success in meeting its mission. We strongly encourage applicants of all cultures, races, educational backgrounds, life experiences, socio-economic classes, sexual orientations, ages, genders, and physical abilities to apply.

Associate Registrar

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum is seeking a detail-oriented and highly-organized Associate Registrar. Reporting to the Registrar and Director of Collections, the position is a member of the curatorial department and supervises on-call art handlers. The Associate Registrar is a key steward of the Museum’s holdings, managing collections logistics in collaboration with the Registrar and Director of Collections. The position oversees on- and off-site installations, ongoing care of works on view at the Museum, and deinstallation of exhibitions, collaborating across teams to uphold the highest standards of artwork safety, presentation, documentation, and visitor experience.

Background

As the recipient of Noguchi’s residuary estate, the Noguchi Museum contains the world’s richest holdings of the artist’s work, including the Permanent Collection (which includes the Core Collection, upon which the Museum is based), Residual Collection, Study Collection, and Archive (together, the “Collections”). The Collections remain the primary resource by which Noguchi’s legacy is preserved and promoted: through exhibitions, education, and other public programs at the Museum, as well as through loans that help to advance national and international recognition of Noguchi’s unique and diverse contributions to modern and contemporary art and culture.

The Museum presents Noguchi’s work through changing exhibitions from the Collections and temporary exhibitions related to the artist, the context in which he worked, and his enduring influence in contemporary culture. Underlying all of the Museum’s activity is continuous research on the works themselves: both in the Museum’s possession and elsewhere, an effort accompanied by the ongoing publication of a digital Catalogue Raisonné.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Hire, train, and manage on-call art handlers.
• Organize and oversee the work of external technicians (for example, art riggers).
• Manage detailed schedules and oversee all installations and deinstallations of exhibitions.
• Assist all aspects of incoming and outgoing loans, managing arrangements for insurance, packing, crating, and domestic and international transit logistics
• Oversee the receiving and releasing incoming and outgoing artwork(s).
• Serve as one of the key users of The Museum System (TMS Collections, a web-based database software) to create and maintain accurate records for location tracking and loan documentation.
• Perform routine gallery inspections, environmental monitoring, cleaning, and dusting of artworks.
• Perform condition reports.
• With Registrar and Director of Collections, consult with conservation professionals to prioritize treatments and preventative measures.
• Partner with Facilities Department and oversee necessary protections for special events.
• Assist with permanent collection handling, inventory, and pulling objects for viewings.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and well-organized on-site art storage space.
• Coordinate travel logistics and serve as an official courier for traveling exhibitions and domestic and international loans.

Requirements / Qualifications

• BA in Art History or Fine Arts (MA preferred) and/or 5+ years of registration experience in an art museum setting.
• Comprehensive knowledge of collection management techniques, museum methodology, cataloging systems, fine arts insurance, safety protocol, and federal indemnity protocols.
• Working knowledge of The Museum System (TMS Collections web-based experience) a plus, as well as Google Workspace, PDF editor, and digital condition reporting tools and programs.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, collaboration skills, budget management skills, and the ability to maintain composure and precision in a fast-paced environment.
• Valid U.S. passport needed for international travel.

The Museum offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time staff, including 30 days of paid time off annually; paid holidays and two floating holidays; paid sick and safe leave; fully employer-sponsored health insurance options; dental and vision coverage; FSA and HSA options; and commuter benefits. After one year of employment, employees are eligible to participate in the Museum’s 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution of up to 10%.