Collections Management (35%)

General:

• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and best practices for the care, handling, and documentation of the museum’s art collection

• Oversee the acquisition, deaccession, and registration processes, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards

• Oversee collections-related budgets in coordination with Director of Exhibitions and Collections

Documentation and research:

• Conduct and supervise collections research and documentation

• Create, maintain, and distribute documentation photographs of collection works

• Facilitate and support Henry collections based research requests from scholars, curators, and the public

Acquisitions:

• Work with the Executive Director, Director of Exhibitions and Collections, and Curatorial team to identify collection priorities and strategically build the collection

• Facilitate the Board of Trustees Collection Committee Meetings; conduct research on proposed gifts and supervise the preparation of all documents for the meeting

• Make recommendations to Executive Director and Director of Exhibitions and Collections on potential incoming acquisitions based on internal storage capacity and ongoing stewardship

• Use and continue to improve the museum’s new system to track task completion for new acquisitions

• Catalogue incoming acquisitions

Registration and record management:

• Supervise all registration activities related to the collection, in partnership with the Assistant Registrar of Collections

• Management of Mimsy, including

• Work with website team to maintain collection presence online (Mobius)

• Supervise fulfillment of reproduction requests, including rights and reproduction

• Work with the Assistant Registrar of Collections to review and facilitate loan requests

Exhibitions Support

• Working with vendors and internal stakeholders, review and prepare collections objects included in exhibitions

• Ensure that artworks are prepared and presented in a manner that aligns with curatorial objectives and the museum’s mission

Compliance and Ethics:

• Stay informed about industry standards and legal requirements related to art collection management

• Uphold ethical and professional standards in all collection-related activities

Collections Care (35%)

General

• Conduct and oversee safe art handling of collection objects

• Manage the handling, packing, and transportation of collections artworks for exhibitions, loans, and other purposes

• Represent the Henry in the Seattle Heritage Emergency Response Network (SHERN)

Storage

• Ensure proper housing and storage of collection objects

• Identify areas of the collection that are not stored in a manner that meets best practice and systematically upgrade their housing

• Work on the ongoing collections storage upgrade project: assist in planning and logistics, responsible for carrying out of each step of the plan

Conservation

• Be aware of and maintain preventative conservation best practices, including working with appropriate staff to monitor and maintain appropriate environmental conditions

• Serve as liaison to, and work closely with, University of Washington conservation and collection care staff

• Collaborate with conservators to ensure the appropriate care, preservation, and restoration of artworks in the collection

Collections Access (15%)

• Coordinate public and University access to Henry collections in the Reed Collection Study Center, including academic and community group visits, scholarly visits, and Henry related programming

• Direct collections staff in locating, pulling, and displaying objects in the Study Center for visits

Team Management (15%)

• Provide team supervision, including training and leadership, to the Collections team

• A minimum of 3 years of museum collections management and/or care experience or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience

• Demonstrated knowledge of professional practices in collection management

• Excellent interpersonal skills and positive attitude that supports department and museum goals. Poised, professional manner in all forms of communication; verbal and written, one-on-one and in groups

• Commitment to teamwork and service to the organization

• Ability to support team and management decisions in a positive, professional manner

• Demonstrated ability to teach, mentor, and oversee work-study students, and interns

• Self-directed with high ability to take initiative and anticipate actions needed; ability to exercise discretion, maintain confidentiality, and be a team player in an active museum environment

• High attention to detail and excellent time-management and problem-solving skills

• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with key donors, colleagues, peers, and the public

• Working knowledge of collection management databases

• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other software applications

ADDITIONAL DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Masters Degree in Museum Studies, Art History, a related field, or relevant combination of education and experience

• Demonstrated expertise, including handling and storing, in one or more area of focus of Henry collections (for example: photographs, works on paper, textiles, audio visual works)

• Experience in collaborating or devising preventative conservation plans as it relates to collections care

• Working knowledge MIMSY