ARCHIVIST

David Kordansky Gallery

David Kordansky Gallery
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David Kordansky Gallery seeks a highly motivated, extremely organized, and collaborative individual to join our team as Archivist. Reporting to the Director, Marketing and Communications, the Archivist is a critical, cross-departmental role, responsible for leading a range of significant functions of the Marketing and Communications team, including management and intake of all printed and digital press archives; maintenance of artist CVs; organization of physical book inventory and storage; oversight of online book shop and sales; project management for art book fairs; and coordination of image permissions and captions for publications. This position is a full-time role, Monday through Friday, and may require flexibility for additional hours based on the needs of the gallery. A generous benefits package is offered.

ABOUT THE GALLERY:

David Kordansky Gallery is one of the most dynamic venues for contemporary art in Los Angeles and is internationally regarded as a leading gallery of its generation. Established in 2003, the exhibition program is dedicated to presenting artists’ work with passion and intellectual rigor, and to bringing the utmost care and precision to showcasing artistic visions. The Gallery is committed to presentations that blend scholarship and connoisseurship with equity and inclusion. We are an institution rooted in our hometown of Los Angeles, and in California, even as we embrace cultural activity as a fully global phenomenon.

Maintaining a culture of belonging is important to us—we strive for a workplace where every single team member feels valued, supported, and heard. We believe in the power of creativity and seek opportunities for connection, collaboration, and learning between cultures and communities. We are committed to championing policies and practices that promote diversity, foster cultural equity, and sustain an environment of inclusivity. The Gallery is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit, qualifications, and abilities. The Gallery does not discriminate, and does not permit discrimination against its employees, interns, volunteers, or applicants. We recognize our strengths lie in the broad range of individuals who contribute their time and talents to our mission, and we pledge to create a safe, accessible, and inclusive place to work.

Responsibilities

The Gallery’s consistent growth, developed in tandem with its artists’ ambitions, occurs through the unique participation and contribution of each employee. We look for colleagues who are the most driven, the most talented, and the most creative. Every member of the Gallery’s team should aim for excellence and ingenuity, surpassing challenges and discovering new possibilities together. We value long-term commitment and loyalty, and in turn provide avenues for career advancement across all departments.

ARCHIVES:

  • Primary manager of all printed and digital press archives that pertain to gallery history and each artist represented

  • Oversee Archivist Assistant and other Administrators supporting the Archive team, including management of workflow and performance

DIGITAL FILE MANAGEMENT:

  • On a daily basis, monitor artist press updates, adding to artist CVs and formatting promptly and accurately; track updates digitally on shared documents

  • Ensure all artist press mentions are scanned, digitally formatted, and archived promptly and accurately

  • Track and add artist external exhibition and literature histories to all digital records

  • Request images and checklists from other gallery and museum exhibitions

PHYSICAL INVENTORY MANAGEMENT:

  • Oversee maintenance of gallery book storage (on-site and off-site), ensuring it is organized, easily accessible, and clean

  • Oversee process of acquiring new publications and ephemera, including research, purchasing, filing, organizing, wrapping, packing, and overall upkeep

  • Lead in the planning process for future storage needs

  • Oversee maintenance of artist catalogue inventory

  • Oversee stocking of complimentary books inventory as well as the shipment of all complimentary book package requests from the sales team

  • Track publication dates of all forthcoming books (external) pertaining to represented artists; purchase and add to library in a timely manner

  • Oversee execution of large-scale book, poster, and other promotional material dispersals

E-COMMERCE SITE:

  • Oversee Shopify e-commerce site, ensuring all orders are promptly shipped; respond to customer questions; maintain consistent stock of packing supplies, etc.

  • Plan and pitch inventory special promotions, events, and seasonal sales

PUBLICATION PRODUCTION:

  • Assist Research and Editorial Director with in-house book projects, including sourcing image rights; reproduction permissions; and tracking image captions and credit lines

NEW ARTISTS:

  • Research, request, and organize archive materials related to new roster artists, ensuring a full and accurate artist exhibition and publication history is available in advance of representation announcements

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS & ART FAIRS:

  • Add gallery exhibition history to database records

  • Produce and provide exhibition material for openings and art fairs

BOOK FAIRS:

  • With the Research and Editorial Director, oversee, plan for, and attend art book fairs (local and virtual)

PRIVATE LIBRARY & ARCHIVE:

  • Organize and maintain gallery owner’s private collection of artist monographs and art catalogues, including purchasing, physical organization, and record management
Requirements

Our ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented and creative with exceptional organizational skills; an excellent verbal and written communicator; and possesses the ability to work successfully in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. We seek candidates who are extremely self-motivated, responsible, and efficient, and who hold a sincere appreciation for and experience with navigating diverse cultural spaces. In addition:

  • Knowledge of contemporary art required

  • Knowledge of the gallery’s artist roster and familiarity with the gallery artists’ publications strongly preferred

  • At least three (3) years of experience implementing industry best practices for physical inventory handling, storage, and tracking (e.g. artwork, books, printed ephemera, etc.) strongly preferred

  • Minimum five (5) years of experience working as an Archivist, Registrar, Collections Manager, or equivalent at a contemporary art gallery, contemporary art museum, and/or artist studio preferred

  • BA in English, Comparative Literature, Art History, or related field preferred, but consideration is given to candidates with related experience

  • Experience or training as a writer, copy editor, fact checker, proof reader, etc welcomed

  • At least two (2) years of people management experience preferred, including management of a direct report and mentorship

  • Skills in a Mac-based environment required, including: Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Sheets) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

  • Intermediate skills in the Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, required

  • Basic knowledge of databases such as ArtBase / FileMaker (or similar) preferred

  • Fluency in multiple languages welcomed

  • Physical abilities to perform all core functions and duties, including but not limited to the ability to talk; hear; see; sit for extended periods; walk; climb, balance; stoop; kneel; crouch; crawl; push; pull; reach; and lift up to 50 pounds

  • Possession of a valid state driver’s license and reliable means of transportation to facilitate local collections and deliveries

  • Preference is given to candidates with expert knowledge of global contemporary art, including art of the African Diaspora, Latin America, and Asia

  • BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

  • This is a full-time salaried (exempt) position

  • The pay scale for this position will be shared at the time of an initial phone interview.

Benefits for full-time employees, following a waiting period, include:

  • Fully-paid premium medical and vision insurance

  • Discounted dental and long-term disability insurance

  • Paid personal and vacation days (starting at 13 days annually)

  • Paid sick time (6 days annually)

  • Paid holidays and floating holidays (10 days annually)

  • Paid gallery closures (typically 8-10 days annually)

  • Paid family leave

  • Participation in a 401k retirement plan

COVID-19:

  • The gallery greatly values the health & safety of its employees, and is following all COVID-19 city, county, and state business guidelines for the pandemic.

  • During the pandemic, approximately 60% of the work required of this position can be completed remotely, with weekly in-person visits required.

How to Apply

Please submit the following via email with the subject line “ARCHIVIST” to jobs@davidkordanskygallery.com:

  • a cover letter detailing your previous experience and your specific interests

  • a complete CV

In your application, please note all relevant skills requested in the qualifications above.

Candidates who advance beyond an initial phone interview may be asked to participate in a thirty- to sixty-minute skills assessment related to InDesign, text editing, and/or Word document formatting.

BIPOC and LGTBQIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants with most, if not all, of the requested qualifications are invited to apply. Submissions including the above items will be prioritized. No phone or walk-in inquiries, please.

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Posted on October 6