Workplace Type: On-site

Location:  Huntsville, Alabama, United States

Company Name for Job: Huntsville Museum of Art

Positions Title: Registrar

Job Function: Registrar/Collections Management

Job Type: Full-Time; 40 hours

Salary: $50,000-55,000 (annually); plus benefits

Description:

Be a vital and valued member of the Huntsville Museum of Art’s curatorial team!

The Huntsville Museum of Art is seeking an organized, motivated individual to play an essential role in the care, growth, and interpretation of the institution’s collection and exhibition offerings.

Under the direction of the Chief Curator, the Registrar works closely with the Head of Exhibition Installation and Design, as well as the Exhibitions Assistant, contracted preparators, curatorial interns, and volunteers to coordinate all aspects of collections management, gallery rotations, and exhibition installations, including monitoring and ensuring the safety of all works of art on exhibition and in collection storage. Responsibilities include coordination of loans and exhibitions during installation and deinstallation; organizing and maintaining orderly forms and legal documents relating to acquisitions and deaccessions; arranging and tracking object movement, loans, traveling exhibitions, shipping, and insurance; and recommending policies and procedures relating to collection preservation.

This position offers a rare professional opportunity. The Registrar will play a central role in shaping collections management strategy and establishing best practices, including the continued development and implementation of the museum’s collections management system. Working within a highly collaborative curatorial environment, the Registrar has meaningful agency and impact across exhibitions, loans, documentation, and preservation initiatives.

For a registrar seeking hands-on responsibility, strategic input, and visible impact within a respected institution, this role provides exceptional experience and career-building opportunities.

Primary Responsibilities:

Oversees logistics related to museum-originated traveling exhibitions, traveling exhibitions from outside institutions, and collections-based exhibitions in liaison with the Chief Curator and Head of Exhibition Installation and Design, including generating or reviewing contracts, communicating with host venues or lenders, coordinating shipping arrangements, generating condition reports, overseeing packing and crating, and maintaining the schedule of various tours to ensure that all AAM and museum industry standards are met.

·       Coordinates and executes collection management procedures related to accession, deaccession, and loans. Prepares and maintains records, correspondence, and the submission of reports as assigned (i.e., periodic accession, insurance reports, and rights and reproductions permissions).

·       Assumes responsibility for ongoing documentation, storage, and condition and environmental monitoring of all art objects in the museum, either on loan or part of the museum’s permanent collection.

·       Makes transportation and packing arrangements for all incoming and outgoing art objects. Monitors and accounts for all object movement into, within, and out of the museum. Possible courier duties as needed.

·       Recommends and arranges insurance coverage of art objects in the museum. Prepares reports and processes claims as necessary.

·       Carries out fiscal year-end (September 30) inventory of the collection.

·       Leads implementation and ongoing development of new collections management system (CMS), including research, recommendation, and maintenance of a web-based platform.

·       Trains and oversees interns and curatorial volunteers when working with collections and/or exhibition objects.

·       Maintains a high level of discipline, professional judgment, and attention to detail. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

·       Assists the Curatorial Department and the museum in general with other tasks and projects as needed and assigned by the Chief Curator or Executive Director.

 Why the Huntsville Museum of Art:

The Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA) is a dynamic and growing institution at the center of one of the South’s most innovative and rapidly expanding cities. Located in downtown Huntsville within the scenic 12-acre Big Spring International Park, HMA comprises 75,000 square feet, including fourteen galleries devoted to American art and rotating exhibitions.

The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 3,000 works, with particular strengths in American art and artists from the Southeast region. HMA holds a nationally significant collection of American women artists active between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, including Elizabeth Catlett, Janet Fish, Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses, and Louise Nevelson, placing the institution within broader national conversations about art history, representation, and scholarship. The collection also includes notable works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and James McNeill Whistler, alongside significant holdings of modern and contemporary artists working in diverse media.

HMA maintains over 400 works on paper by influential twentieth-century artists and features a significant photography collection, including an extensive body of work by Alabama photographer William Christenberry. The collection houses a distinctive selection of contemporary works in wood, fiber, metal, clay, and glass. The museum’s holdings in studio glass include works by Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, William Morris, and Ginny Ruffner, reflecting a strong tie to the American studio craft movement.

Complementing these holdings are collections of South American, Asian, African, and European art, including Japanese and European prints, sterling silver animals by Italian artists Gianmaria Buccellati, and other distinctive works that invite visitors to explore connections across cultures and time periods.

HMA is committed to thoughtful collecting, ambitious exhibitions, and the continued stewardship of its expanding holdings. As Huntsville grows as a national center for innovation and culture, the museum plays a central role in shaping the city’s artistic and intellectual landscape.

Why Huntsville, Alabama:

Huntsville is one of the fastest-growing and most highly educated cities in the United States. Known nationally for its leadership in aerospace, defense, and technology, Huntsville is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal, creating a vibrant community of scientists, entrepreneurs, and creatives.

Beyond its technological leadership, Huntsville boasts a strong and expanding cultural presence. The city is home to the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, the Broadway Theatre League, Huntsville Ballet, and the nationally recognized Huntsville Botanical Garden, alongside a thriving network of galleries, theaters, and arts organizations. Major touring musical artists and national Broadway productions regularly perform in the city’s venues, reflecting Huntsville’s growing reputation as a regional cultural destination.

The city offers an exceptional quality of life: affordable housing, short commute times, a thriving downtown, expanding culinary and brewery scenes, and immediate access to hiking, mountains, and outdoor recreation in the Appalachian region. Huntsville has been consistently recognized as one of the best places to live in the United States (U.S. News and World Report, https://www.southernliving.com/news/us-news-world-report-best-place-to-live-2022-huntsville), and its continued growth has attracted residents from across the country, resulting in a dynamic and increasingly diverse cultural landscape.

For those who value connectivity, Huntsville is within easy driving distance of Nashville, Chattanooga, and Birmingham (under two hours), and Atlanta and Memphis (under four hours), providing access to major metropolitan amenities while maintaining the advantages of a livable, mid-sized city.

Huntsville combines professional opportunity, cultural vitality, and everyday livability in a way that continues to surprise newcomers.

Requirements and Key Qualifications:

·       Bachelor’s degree in art history or related field required; 2-5 years previous registrar experience or noted equivalent.

·       Proven organizational, clerical, computer, communication, and interpersonal skills. Professional certification, advanced degree, or equivalent experience.

·       Demonstrated knowledge of museum standards and practices of registration, art handling, and current collections management, care, and storage practices and materials.

·       Knowledge of collections management systems, such as TMS, PastPerfect, Embark, FilemakerPro, or equivalent.

·       Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications.

·       Ability to visually inspect artwork, sit or stand for long periods of time, and ability to carry up to 30 lbs.

• Highly self-directed with strong attention to detail.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Huntsville Museum of Art values diversity in all its forms and actively encourages candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply. It does not discriminate against any candidate or employee based on race, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or veteran status.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter, resume/CV, and names of 3 references and your professional relationship, with contact information to: Christopher Madkour, Executive Director; cmadkour@hsvmuseum.org. References will not be contacted without prior permission of the applicant.