Exhibitions Registrar (Arts & Sciences Professional III-H)

Job Description:

Exhibitions Registrar (Arts & Sciences Professional III-H)

Description

Description

Are you a detail-oriented arts professional with experience working in a gallery or museum setting?

The Palo Alto Art Center is looking for an Exhibitions Registrar to work closely with the Director, Lead Preparator, guest curators and Installation Crew to present approximately four to five group exhibitions annually. In this role, you’ll be actively collaborating with other team members and community members, while also balancing independent work.

At the Palo Alto Art Center, creativity, community, and connection come together. It's your place to see and make art, activate your creativity, and expand your community. To learn more about who we are and what we do click here: Palo Alto Art Center.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• A detailed-oriented professional with a knowledge of best practices for museum registration and installation.
• A flexible, adaptive mindset that can adjust to changing priorities and demands.
• Someone who can work successfully with a diverse range of colleagues and collaborators, with different communication and work styles.
• A cultural worker with an interest in contemporary art who enjoys working with artists and creative professionals.

Work Hours and Schedule:

• Part-time, approximately 10-20 hours per week depending on exhibition schedule.
  
• Additional hours required during installation and deinstallation periods.
  
• Position is hybrid, with some work offsite and a minimum of a shift per week in the office.
  

The City of Palo Alto offers the following benefits to those in a SEIU Hourly position:

• Medical Stipend $3.64 per hour
• Sick Leave Earn .03 hour of sick leave for each hour worked.
• PARS Retirement Plan
• To learn more about SEIU-Hourly benefits click here

Essential Duties

Planning

• Actively participates in exhibition planning meetings with guest curators and staff.
• Maintains exhibitions calendar.
• Works with Lead Preparator to schedule ensure efficient and timely installation and deinstallation periods with Installation Crew.

Exhibition Registration

• Creates and facilitates loan agreements for exhibition objects.
• Creates and maintains condition records for exhibition objects.
• Oversees handling, packing, movement, and inspection of all exhibition objects.
• Works with Lead Preparator to coordinate shipments for exhibition objects-schedules fine art shipping and local transport with our City van.
• Works with Lead Preparator and Installation crew to ensure the safe display of all exhibition objects, coordinates the production and installation of mounts and barriers as needed.
• Trains installation crew on professional art handling techniques as needed.
• Trains customer service staff and volunteers to identify changes to object conditions and coordinates response.
• Coordinates insurance details for exhibition objects.
• Supports installation process as needed.
• Maintains the Art Center’s exhibition emergency response protocol.

Payments and Purchasing

• Manages artist payments and contracts.
• Purchases supplies for the exhibition team as needed.

Exhibition Coordination

• Maintains exhibition archive files for exhibitions.
• Works with Director and Guest Curator, formats labels, produces and installs labels and text panels in conjunction with installation team.
• Designs, produces, and installs vinyl signage (with in-house vinyl cutter) and interpretive signage (with outside printer), and labels (in-house production), with help of Installation Crew.
• Supports slide-room process for juried exhibitions (typically one exhibition per year), setting up electronic calls for artists, alerting artists, and managing drop-offs and pick-ups.
• Works as the Art Center lead for annual Peninsula Photo Competition exhibition, coordinating the printing of winning digital submissions and coordinating framing in-house.

Additional duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Five years of experience working with objects in a professional museum or gallery setting.

Supplemental Information

Physical Requirements:
This position requires a limited amount of physical activity in addition to desk work: crouching, lifting.

This is an SEIU Hourly ( limited-benefits ) position that is budgeted to not exceed 1,000 hours per fiscal year. The number of hours per week and schedule will be determined based on assignment.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

City of Palo Alto offers the following benefits to those in a SEIU Hourly position:

Medical Stipend
$3.80 effective the pay period including July 1, 2024.

Sick Leave
Earn .03 hour of sick leave for each hour worked.

Retirement
City of Palo Alto PST (Part-time, Seasonal & Temporary Employees) Retirement Plan

Please note: The City does not participate in CA State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Social Security.

Closing Date/Time: 11/20/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$37.50 - $46.04 Hourly