Registrar

Department: Admin

Reports to: Executive Director  

Status: Part-time hourly non-exempt employee

Schedule: Approximately 20-24 hours per week, Tuesday-Saturday, with flexibility around organizational events

Pay scale: $25-36 per hour

Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA (in-person 3 days per week)

ABOUT CORITA KENT:  

Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and social justice advocate who left an indelible mark on the art world, her students, the communities she served, the people she engaged, and the culture at large.

About Corita Art Center (CAC):

Corita Art Center (CAC) preserves and promotes Corita Kent’s art, teaching, and passion for social justice. Housing the most comprehensive collection of Corita’s screenprints, watercolors, graphic commissions, and archival materials, CAC supports exhibitions, public programs, social enterprises, and licensing initiatives.  

CAC is committed to preserving and archiving Corita’s work, making it accessible to scholars and the public, and serving communities through arts education, all rooted in Corita’s own vision and ethos. We are one of the few artist-endowed estates associated with a woman artist, and it is an honor to steward the oeuvre of an artist who combined such artistic achievement with enduring social impact. 

Our purpose spans engagement, accessibility, sustainability, and education. Our values are centered and expressed in the understanding that we are creators. Our vision is that the love, hope, and justice of Corita’s work can serve and inspire every human on Earth, it’s the transcendent nature of art, and especially of the grace with which Corita created. Inspired by her work and the tools by which to act, and we are using them to champion the artists and educators of today, to meet the cultural moment we are in, and to move the world toward a more kind, just, and equitable future.

Our dedicated staff is the heart and soul of CAC. We are deeply invested in Corita’s work and philosophies and are driven to bring them to a greater and growing audience.  

As a small but dynamic nonprofit, CAC is entering a thoughtful phase of growth as we work to implement our strategic plan for 2026-2030, focusing on community development and the creation of an educational ecosystem to meet more people where they are.

POSITION SUMMARY:  

The Registrar supports collection activities related to exhibitions, installations, loans, and the stewardship of  Corita Art Center’s comprehensive collection of works on paper, objects and ephemeral materials. Working closely with Executive Director, curators, artists, lenders, operations, and other internal and external stakeholders, the Registrar coordinates art logistics, documentation, movement, and care while ensuring compliance with museum standards and legal requirements. This position plays a critical role in realizing an annual exhibition onsite at CAC, a touring university exhibition managed by CAC and loaned artwork program from the collection for off-site exhibitions, supporting relationships with living artists, and preserving the long-term integrity and accessibility of the collection onsite at CAC and storage. The role balances project management and administrative oversight with hands-on collections care in service to the CAC’s mission and values.

Principal Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

Collections Stewardship (40%)

• Maintain Corita Art Center's collections digital management system, ensuring accurate and timely record updates are made for artworks and related materials.  

• Coordinate accessioning, cataloguing, inventories, location tracking, and routine condition assessments.  

• Oversee artwork storage, packing, handling, and movement in accordance with museum best practices.  

• Maintain collection files, provenance records, donor documentation, exhibition histories, and rights and reproduction records.  

• Coordinate conservation assessments and treatment with outside conservators as needed.  

• Support collections photography, digitization, and documentation projects.  

• Ensure the collection is cared for with professionalism, accuracy, and attention to detail.

• Respond to internal and external research requests, facilitating access to the collection and archives while ensuring proper stewardship of materials

Exhibitions and Loan Management (45%)

• Serve as the primary registrar for all outgoing and incoming loans, managing agreements, schedules, insurance, shipping, couriers, and condition reporting  

• Coordinate all registration and logistical needs for Corita Art Center exhibitions, including annual onsite exhibition installations and collection rotations

• Oversee artwork preparation including framing, matting, packing, crating, storage, transportation, installation, and deinstallation

• Coordinate and supervise contracted art handlers, installers, shippers, photographers, and specialty vendors

• Support the national touring exhibition program, including heroes and sheroes, serving as the primary collections liaison with borrowing institutions  

• Develop and maintain detailed exhibition schedules and installation timelines while collaborating closely with the Executive Director and team to ensure projects remain on schedule and within budget

• Prepare exhibition checklists, object lists, lender correspondence, facility reports, and loan documentation

Operations and Cross-Department Collaboration (15%)

• Help maintain museum standards for collections care, environmental monitoring, emergency preparedness, and risk management

• Prepare reports and materials for the Exhibitions Committee, supporting strategic planning and exhibition decision-making

• Collaborate across departments to support exhibitions, publications, special initiatives, and organizational priorities

• Anticipate collections and exhibition needs, identifying solutions before challenges arise

• Assist with refining collections procedures, documentation standards, and organizational workflows

• Continue to build and maintain strong professional relationships with lenders, donors, artists, conservators, galleries, museums, vendors, and community partners.  

• Contribute to a collaborative, flexible team environment, stepping in where needed to support organizational priorities

Ideal Skills and Abilities:

• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in museum registration, exhibitions management, collections management, artist estates, galleries, auction houses, or comparable cultural institutions. Experience with work on paper a plus.

• Demonstrated experience managing complex exhibitions from planning through installation and deinstallation

• Experience coordinating artwork loans, shipping, insurance, condition reporting, customs and registrar documentation

• Strong understanding of museum collections care, object handling, and exhibition best practices

• Experience coordinating outside vendors including art handlers, framers, conservators, photographers, and fine art shippers

• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines

• Experience working independently in a small organization where flexibility and initiative are essential

• Familiarity with collections management databases and digital asset management systems, such as ArtLogic or FileMaker Pro.

• Bachelor's degree in Museum Studies, Art History, Arts Administration, or a related field preferred

• Proficiency in the use of MS Office software including: Outlook, Word, Excel  

• Strong organizational skills and analytical skills  

The ideal candidate is an experienced museum or gallery professional who enjoys bringing order to complex projects and understands that successful exhibitions are built through thoughtful planning, collaboration, and attention to detail. They are resourceful, proactive, and comfortable moving between collections stewardship, exhibition logistics, vendor coordination, research support, and institutional partnerships with professionalism, kindness, and sound judgment.

Corita Art Center is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local laws.  

Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, and you believe you have transferrable skills, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.

Licenses and Certifications:  

• Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record required  

‍

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here represent those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.  

• Physical Demands: In the work environment described herein, the position requires good eye/hand coordination and working at a desk, and utilizing a computer for prolonged periods of time. The position also requires verbal and written conversation with others, standing, climbing, walking, bending, reaching, and lifting/moving objects up to 35 pounds. Vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

• Work Environment: The majority of work will be performed at the CAC offices in downtown Los Angeles. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Work requires occasional independent travel to and from off-site meetings and events. Occasional weekend, evening, and night work hours are also required. CAC wants to ensure the health and safety of all workers in the workplace and therefore follows local orders, state regulations, and guidance from government agencies like the CDC, OSHA, EEOC, and local health authorities.  

• Travel: Some travel may be required for this position and is anticipated to comprise 5% of this role.

• Employees are required to complete a criminal background check and provide at least three work references.  

WHY IT’S GREAT TO WORK HERE:

Following a waiting period, part-time regular employees of CAC are currently eligible for the following benefits:  

• Paid holidays (up to 11 annually)

• Paid winter closure (8-10 days, in late December/Early January)

• Paid floating holiday (1 annually)

• Paid sick & wellness leave (up to 9 days annually)

• Paid bereavement leave (up to 3 days annually)

• Paid jury duty leave (up to 3 days annually)

• Vacation time (unpaid, starting at 10 days annually)

• Flexible hours for voting time

• Eligibility to contribute to a 401(k) retirement plan

• Pre-tax commuter benefits

• Pre-tax FSA / DC-FSA

• Annual cost-of-living wage increases (subject to budget approval)

HOW TO APPLY:  

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and will be accepted through November 18, 2026.

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter. Submitted materials should detail relevant experience as a collections management professional in the arts and culture sector. In your cover letter, please also include a brief statement regarding your interest in Corita Kent’s legacy.

Please submit all materials to the hiring committee at apply@corita.org. Please note that no telephone calls are accepted. All inquiries, including any accommodation requirements, should be sent with application.

Qualified candidates will be contacted for an initial screening conversation. Those candidates who advance through the interview process should expect 2 rounds of interviews, via phone, video, and/or in-person. References will be requested at the end of the interview process.

‍