Director of Collections and Exhibitions
Reports to:Chief Curator and Director of Programs
Employment Status:Full-Time
Direct Reports:Associate Registrar
FLSA Status:Exempt
Annual Salary Range:$85,000.00 to $110,000.00
The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), located on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus in Costa Mesa, California, seeks an experienced, highly motivated professional for the position of Director of Collections and Exhibitions to supervise the documentation of the Museum’s physical and intellectual collections, archives and library holdings.
This position will oversee the Museum’s collections, artwork on loan to the Museum from other institutions and private collectors shown through in-house temporary exhibitions, permanent collection exhibitions, and outside travelling exhibitions.
The Director of Collections and Exhibitions also has primary responsibility for overseeing the research, content development and the Museum’s collection management procedures, including registration, conservation, environment and risk management.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
●Manage Museum collection, records, and documentation.
●Ensure compliance with Museum policies and best-practice industry standards for stewardship, accessioning, and deaccessioning.
●Manage care and handling of the Museum’s collection, including acquisition, cataloguing, photography, rights and reproduction, digital access, deaccessioning, lending, borrowing, international and domestic shipping, customs, inventory, climate control, security, archival and storage spaces.
●Implement policies and procedures and prepare necessary documents to accession artwork into the collection.
●Provide oversight on the conservation of the collection including implementing conservation plans in collaboration with Chief Curator and CEO and Director and coordinating all aspects of conservation treatment.
●Oversee outgoing and incoming loans of artwork, assessing requests for suitability and making recommendations to Chief Curator and CEO and Director.
●Conduct ongoing database management including recording storage locations, unifying lexicon, accessioning, and deaccessioning.
●Perform collection and collection donor-related research and respond to collection-related inquiries from key stakeholders including staff, galleries, artists, scholars, and the public.
●Maintain collection and exhibition image files; process reproduction rights and image-use requests and supervise and ensure maintenance of temporary storage areas.
●Manage institutional archives, including processing materials, organizing files, monitoring condition of materials, arranging access for staff and external scholars, and supervising interns.
●Consult and work with Chief Curator and CEO and Director to build and maintain the Center for the Study of Women Art Museum Directors.
●Process all archival donations.
●Provide information and documentation relating to the Museum’s artwork and collection, as requested by Chief Human Resources Officer and by the Director of Building Maintenance and Security for revisions to the Museum’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program-Disaster Preparedness-Emergency Response and Recovery Plan.
●Identify and oversee facility upgrades, including facility layout and storage system design to accommodate a diverse and growing collection.
●Coordinate and document all packing, transport, and rehousing of the collection and archive.
●Manage all project finances including budget allocations, expense approval, payment processing, and expense tracking.
●Coordinate the installation and de-installation of all exhibitions in concert with Chief Curator and Installation Director.
●Interact with the Board of Trustees, Museum patrons, collectors, artists, Museum colleagues, contractors, interns, and volunteers.
●Support curatorial department with preparation for and coordination of quarterly Acquisitions and Collection Committee meetings; prepare and deliver collection reports and updates to staff, Chief Curator, CEO and Director, and Committee members.
●Coordinate the planning and implementation of all Museum exhibitions in collaboration with the curatorial department and Installation Director.
●Prepare and administer loan agreements and exhibition contracts; produce and update facility reports as needed.
●Manage crating and domestic and international shipping arrangements for exhibitions, including receiving and releasing incoming and outgoing exhibition loans and exhibition-related deliveries.
●Organize schedules for exhibition installation and de-installation in concert with Installation Director, including coordinating all aspects of courier travel.
●Oversee all packing and unpacking of artwork and produce condition reports for all artwork in exhibitions; monitor artwork and environmental conditions for duration of exhibitions.
●Organize insurance policies for loans, including providing supplemental insurance, certificates of insurance, and processing claims.
●Identify and implement security plans for exhibitions with Installation Director and the Museum’s Security Manager.
●Participate in collection and exhibition meetings, as needed.
●Edit and proof-read exhibition catalogues, label text, and didactic materials, as needed.
●Other projects as assigned by Supervisor.
Qualifications and Requirements
●Master’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree in Museum Studies, Cultural Studies, Art History, or closely related field.
●Minimum 5 years’ experience in Collections Management and Conservation and as a Supervisor.
●Demonstrated knowledge of the principles, standards and ethics of conservation, collection management and information systems, collection environment management, registration, risk management and insurance, and disaster preparedness.
●Work may require evening hours, weekend hours and extended periods of attendance at Museum during installations and events surrounding exhibitions openings.
●Strong team building skills, with the ability to mentor and inspire others.
●Work collaboratively across all departments.
●Ability to prioritize high-level responsibilities, and multi-task simultaneous projects effectively in a high-interrupt environment.
●Experience with Digital Collections Information Systems, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
●Knowledge of current trends, issues, and best practices in Museum Collections and Exhibitions.
●Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to represent the Museum with professionalism and enthusiasm.
●Strong interpersonal and leadership skills for building effective working relationships at all levels within the Museum and beyond and the ability to foster a collaborative team environment.
●Experience developing departmental strategic plans and overseeing long-term collection and exhibition projects.
●Familiarity with databases, online catalogues, and digitization.
●Experience with a Board Committee as a liaison.
●Ability in acquiring art for Museum collections.
●Experience in preservation and conservation issues and techniques and overseeing the treatment of art objects.
●Able to take initiative and anticipate actions that are needed.
Physical Demands
●Must be able to bend, lift, sit, and stand for long and varying periods of condition reporting, and supervising, directing, or guiding others to move, pack, and unpack works of art.
●Able to lift and/or move up to 25 lbs.
●Able to sit or stand while working at a computer for long periods of time.
●Ability to move around work area and Museum and remain onsite for extended periods.
●Occasional use of ladder and aerial lift.
●Ability to travel between Museum locations and other travel as required by position responsibilities.
Apply
Please submit cover letter and resume to Vickie Byrd, Chief Human Resources Officer, vbyrd@ocma.art.
Disclaimer
This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described above, and may be amended at any time at the sole discretion of the Employer.