Description
An established contemporary artist studio seeks an experienced Senior Archivist & Collections Manager to lead the stewardship, organization, and long-term management of a significant and continually evolving artist archive. This on-site leadership role is responsible for developing archival strategy, establishing best practices, overseeing collections management, and ensuring the archive supports the studio's ongoing artistic, scholarly, and institutional initiatives.
The archive includes original records, correspondence, research materials, exhibition documentation, publications, artwork records, and other materials related to the artist's practice and studio operations.
The Senior Archivist & Collections Manager will supervise an Archivist/Registrar, provide mentorship, training, and oversight while maintaining the highest professional standards for archival management.
Tasks and Responsibilities
- Lead the long-term management, preservation, and accessibility of the artist's archive and related collections.
- Develop and implement archival policies, workflows, and standards that support an active and growing archive.
- Oversee cataloging, metadata standards, digital asset management, and collections documentation to ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
- Establish and maintain quality control procedures for archival records and collections management.
- Supervise an Archivist/Registrar, delegating projects and ensuring accuracy and efficiency in day-to-day archival operations.
- Oversee accessioning, organization, inventory, and documentation of archival materials and collection records both physical and digital (including websites).
- Manage archival and collections management databases, ensuring data integrity and ongoing system improvements.
- Collaborate with the artist, studio manager, curators, registrars, scholars, galleries, museums, and publishers to support exhibitions, loans, publications, research requests, and institutional partnerships.
- Develop preservation strategies for both physical and digital collections, including storage recommendations and environmental best practices.
- Prepare reports, inventories, research materials, and documentation to support exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and collection planning.
- Identify opportunities to improve archival workflows, implement new technologies, and increase operational efficiency.
- Assist in strategic planning for the long-term stewardship and growth of the archive.
Qualifications
- Master's degree (MLIS, MA) or higher in Archival Studies, Library & Information Science, Museum Studies, Art History, Information Science, or a related discipline.
- Experience managing archives, special collections, artist archives, museum collections, or comparable cultural heritage collections.
- Demonstrated experience supervising staff, interns, or project teams.
- Extensive knowledge of archival theory, professional standards, metadata schemas, collections management principles, and preservation practices.
- Experience with collections management and archival database systems.
- Strong understanding of both physical and digital asset management workflows.
- Experience supporting exhibitions, publications, research initiatives, and institutional collaborations.
- Experience developing archival procedures, training documentation, and operational standards.
- Excellent organizational, project management, written communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
- Experience working within a contemporary artist studio, museum, gallery, foundation, or cultural institution is highly desirable.
- Ability to lift and move archival materials weighing up to 40 pounds.
How to apply
Please submit cover letter and CV as a single pdf to [email protected]