Founded in 2011 and based in New York City, the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) expands scholarship, public engagement, and the international visibility of art from Latin America through their program of exhibitions, publishing, research, and partnerships. These programs frequently engage their collection of modern and contemporary Latin American art, which is in dialogue with the ISLAA Library and Archives.
ISLAA’s collection of twentieth- and twenty-first century Latin American art is reflective of their mission to expand scholarship, public engagement, and the international visibility of art from Latin America and by doing so, tell more expansive narratives of Latin American Art. Each year, ISLAA gifts artworks to museum collections with the goal of enabling institutions to tell more expansive and rigorous narratives of Latin American culture, increasing public access to these works and, in turn, broadening their reach. In addition, ISLAA’s collection is actively exhibited and loaned to various institutions and they continue to actively accession new works.
Job Description
The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) seeks a full-time Registrar to facilitate the ongoing care, documentation, and display of their dynamic collection of modern and contemporary Latin American art. The Registrar’s primary role is to manage their collection database and to assist in the logistics of collection care and transport. The ideal candidate is eager to learn and grow with their organization as we increase the visibility of the ISLAA Collection, in line with their mission to expand research and public engagement with art from Latin America.
This position is integral to the team’s operations, serving as primary custodian of their collections database and assisting with hands-on condition reporting, loan coordination, and exhibition preparation. Reporting to the Collections Manager, the role involves managing long-term projects to improve the research and documentation of works. Alongside these ongoing endeavors, the Registrar is integral to routine operations and should be confident managing time effectively for both long-term and short-term projects.
Importantly, the Registrar is a central conduit between the collection and ISLAA’s extensive programming. In dialogue with the team, the Registrar shares artwork-related information on request to facilitate activities across their main areas of operation: Exhibitions, Research, Publishing, and Partnerships. In this collaborative environment, the Registrar will be mentored in growing their collection-management skills. In addition, should the Registrar wish to explore deeper art-historical research and/or public-facing activities, the team will actively find opportunities for collaboration and professional development.
The Registrar will be asked to work in-person 2–3 days per week, reporting to ISLAA’s offices and/or traveling to off-site art storage facilities in the tri-state area. The remaining days of the week are flexible for work-from-home, as ISLAA recognizes the value of a hybrid schedule to their team members.
Core Responsibilities
- Assist in receiving and registering newly accessioned artworks
- Lead long-term projects to update and manage data and research on existing entries in collection management system
- Oversee the preparation of loans, including condition reporting and paperwork/documentation
- Manage the workflow of updating existing art entries with new high-resolution photography, which involves collaborating with multiple team members
- Oversee research projects relating to exhibition histories and artist biographies for database entries
- Assess metadata and tagging standards, proposing improvements in line with evolving institutional best practices
- Promptly deliver up-to-date information about collection items on request from team members throughout the organization
Background and Experience
- 3+ years’ experience as registrar necessary
- Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, art history, or studio art a plus
- Advanced spoken and written Spanish; Portuguese proficiency is preferred but not required
- Availability to report to off-site locations multiple days a week as needed
- Ability to lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds
- Experience maintaining a collections database; knowledge of ArtSystems a plus
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365; familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite is preferred
- Flexibility and ability to multitask and prioritize without difficulty
- Must be a respectful, polite, and supportive team member
- Ability to remain focused and on-task in a fast-paced environment
- Capacity for discretion around sensitive or confidential information
- Candidate should love art, and love to be around art!
Note on Hiring
ISLAA seeks team members who reflect the diverse communities we engage with. Positions are filled without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ability, HIV/AIDS status, or veteran status. All are encouraged to apply. #LI-D
Contact
To apply please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@islaa.org, attn: Natacha del Valle.
About ISLAA
Since 2011, ISLAA has expanded scholarship, public engagement, and the international visibility of art from Latin America through its program of exhibitions, publishing, research, and partnerships. These programs frequently engage ISLAA’s collection of modern and contemporary Latin American art, which is in dialogue with the contents of the ISLAA Library and Archives.
ISLAA works with educational and art institutions to foster scholarship and intellectual exchange, providing resources and programs oriented toward scholars, arts professionals, and broad audiences. These partnerships include the ISLAA Forum, a series of graduate student workshops; the Artist Seminar Initiative, which supports coursework and on-campus exhibitions; ISLAA’s decade-long, multifaceted partnerships with Columbia University and the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; the ISLAA Curatorial Fellowship at the New Museum, a program in support of exhibition and programming initiatives by emerging curators; and support of the Jaime Davidovich Foundation.
