Registrar/Assistant Registrar [Cranbrook Educational Community]

REGISTRAR and ASSISTANT REGISTRAR

 CRANBROOK ART MUSEUM

and

CRANBROOK CENTER FOR COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Cranbrook Art Museum and the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research are accepting applications for joint Registrar and Assistant Registrar positions. These are unique opportunities for experienced registrars to work with the collections and exhibitions of a leading AAM-accredited contemporary art museum and the historic collections and architecture that comprise Cranbrook’s world-renowned campus. While the Registrar and Assistant Registrar will work collaboratively, the Registrar will focus on the Art Museum’s collections while the Assistant Registrar, who also will report to the Registrar, will focus on the campus collections.

CRANBROOK ART MUSEUM

Cranbrook Art Museum is an integral part of Cranbrook Academy of Art, a community of Artists-in-Residence and graduate-level students of art, design, and architecture. In 2011, the Museum completed a $22M construction project, which realized not only the restoration of its landmark Eliel Saarinen-designed building and the installation of a state-of-the-art climate-control system, but also the addition of a new 30,000 square-foot Collections Wing. The Museum’s collections and temporary exhibition program are the focus of the Registrar’s work at the Museum. The collections are comprised of 6,000 objects from the Arts and Crafts Movement to the present, including the restored Art Deco house-museum Saarinen House; temporary exhibitions focus on the leading-edge of contemporary art, architecture, craft, and design.

CRANBROOK CENTER FOR COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH

The Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, which includes Cranbrook Archives, centralizes Cranbrook’s 110-year story and offers intellectual engagement with its collections and legacy. While the majority of these collections are part of the Institute of Science, Art Museum, or Archives, Cranbrook still has a wealth of objects that fall outside these three established collections. These “Cultural Properties” include the Saarinen-designed furniture in the Cranbrook Schools, the vast decorative arts and fine art collections in Cranbrook House (the founders’ 1908-manor home designed by Albert Kahn), outdoor sculpture and stonework, and the artist-designed gates that populate Cranbrook’s campus. Publically launched in 2012, the Center’s broadly defined mission includes the management, curatorial leadership, and interpretation of these Cultural Properties as well as Cranbrook’s historic architecture (most notably Cranbrook House and Saarinen House). The Center’s offices are housed within the Art Museum, where it is able to take full advantage of the Collections Wing. The management of Cranbrook’s Cultural Properties is the focus of the Assistant Registrar’s work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Registrar reports directly to the Director of Cranbrook Art Museum and the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research and works collaboratively with the Assistant Registrar and the staffs of the Art Museum and the Center. While the Registrar must have experience with the responsibilities of both collections, the Registrar is supported by the work of the Assistant Registrar. In addition to all responsibilities related to the management of the Museum’s collections and loans (including those associated with its temporary exhibitions, accessions and deaccessions, outdoor sculpture collection, and Saarinen House) and Cranbrook’s Cultural Properties—ensuring that objects are handled and installed in accordance with the field’s highest standards of care and preservation—some key responsibilities include working with Campus Public Safety to oversee the Museum’s security systems and taking an active role in the security of Cultural Properties campus-wide; working with Cranbrook Facilities to oversee the Museum’s climate control system; managing the collections management database system used for Museum and Cultural Properties collections (TMS by Gallery Systems), including the development and implementation of a public web-based interface; organizing and controlling all art storage vaults in the Collections Wing and storage areas for Cultural Properties across the campus; coordinating work with contracted conservators; developing policies and responding to inquiries concerning Rights and Reproductions; and coordinating Cranbrook’s fine arts insurance coverage. In addition to the Assistant Registrar, the Registrar supervises Academy work-study students and, as funding permits, the Museum’s temporary Registrar Assistants.

REQUIRMENTS FOR THE REGISTRAR

The ideal candidate for the Registrar position will have a Master’s degree in Museum Studies, Art History, or a related field; five years of professional experience in a registrar’s office (preferably within an art museum) that includes experience in records management, art transport arrangements, accessioning and deaccessioning, loan management, exhibition management, database management (TMS preferred), strong computer skills, and administrative and supervisory experience; and a thorough understanding of accepted museum registration practices, art handling techniques, US customs and copyright laws, and risk management practices and standards. The position demands attention to detail and requires excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with individuals both inside and outside the department, including senior Cranbrook employees, Trustees, and Governors. A valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record and access to a personal vehicle for use on campus is required.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASSISTANT REGISTRAR

The ideal candidate for the Assistant Registrar position will have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Museum Studies, Art History or History, Historic Preservation, or a related field (with a Master’s degree preferred), two years of collections management experience that includes database record entry (TMS preferred), strong computer skills, and experience with museum registration practices and object handling techniques. The position demands attention to detail and requires excellent interpersonal skills.  A valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record and access to a personal vehicle for use on campus is required.

CRANBROOK EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY

The Museum and Center are a part of Cranbrook Educational Community, which also includes its Schools, the Academy of Art, an Institute of Science, and Cranbrook House & Gardens. Located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, twenty miles north of downtown Detroit, Cranbrook’s 319-acre campus is a National Historic Landmark that welcomes tens of thousands of public visitors each year to the Institute of Science, Art Museum, and historic houses. Cranbrook also is home to more than 1,600 students in grades pre-K through 12 attending Cranbrook Schools and more than 150 graduate Academy students.

APPLICATION PROCESS

For consideration for either position, please submit a cover letter (noting the position to which you are applying), résumé, work samples, list of references, and a completed Cranbrook Employee Application (which can be downloaded from the Employment page of our website at www.cranbrook.edu) to: Cranbrook, Human Resources, P. O. Box 801, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0801, or email humanresources@cranbrook.edu. Cranbrook offers a competitive salary and benefit package that includes medical, dental, life, and retirement. While Cranbrook will continue to accept applications until the positions are filled, serious candidates are encouraged to submit their applications by the beginning of February 2015. Cranbrook is an equal opportunity employer and strives to provide a work environment that welcomes diversity.