The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is the Northern Territory’s premier cultural and scientific institution. It offers a dynamic and diverse arts, science and cultural program to more than 300,000 visitors each year.
We are the museum and gallery known for our collections and expertise in Aboriginal cultures, natural sciences, histories and arts across Northern and Central Australia and our neighbours to the north.
We connect people to the stories of the Northern Territory. Our collection drives curiosity, exploration and partnerships. Our physical spaces are destinations loved by locals and a must-see for Territory visitors. Our digital connectivity expands the reach of our collection. Our guests tell their friends about their distinctive Territorian experience.
MAGNT has seven venues: Bullocky Point, the Defence of Darwin Experience, Fannie Bay Gaol, Lyons Cottage, the Museum of Central Australia (incorporating the Strehlow Research Centre), Megafauna Central and the Alcoota fossil site. A new Art Gallery opening in Darwin’s CBD in 2023 will add an eighth MAGNT site.
Primary Objective:
The Assistant Registrar: Acquisitions and Loans will be principally responsible for MAGNT’s History and Culture Collection Management program as it relates to acquisitions include receiving, preparing, accessioning and cataloguing new acquisitions, and loans including documentation, packing, transport, and insurance.
Other duties include maintaining the Collections Management System, delivering preventative conservation, collections retrieval and preparing objects for conservation, exhibition and digitisation for works in MAGNT’s collection, on display, in storage, and on loan.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage acquisitions, including all legal aspects and documentation for deeds of gift, bequests, donations and administering donations via the Cultural Gifts Programme.
- Undertake the accessioning procedures to ensure that Collection objects and artworks are registered, labelled and stored appropriately.
- Manage inward and outward loans including liaison with lenders/borrowers, preparing loan forms and agreements and ensuring adherence to established policies.
- Coordination of logistics related to acquisitions and loans, including documentation, condition checks, packing, insurance, transport, and receiving objects.
- Create and update records, enter data, generate reports, assist with the database clean-up and standardisation of data fields on the EMu Collections Management System.
- Assist with the preparation for installation/deinstallation of exhibition including collection and loan material to ensure the effective care, handling and movement of cultural and historic material.
- In collaboration with other collections management staff plan/implement safe storage for improving the management of collection material and storage facilities.
Selection Criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree in art, art history, history or museum studies and a minimum of 3 years’ experience gained working in a museum or art gallery environment in the application of registration and collection management practices and professional museum standards.
- Extensive experience in managing loans in a museum or art gallery that provide for safe and effective handling, packing, exhibition installation/deinstallation and storage of cultural objects in a variety of media and sound knowledge of national and international freight procedures.
- Demonstrated ability in the use of Collections Management Systems with relevance to EMu.
- Experience in managing acquisition processes including legal requirements and documentation, secure transport and storage of all types of museum objects, to professional museum level.
- Proven ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team environment, and strong organisational skills self-manage workload across concurrent projects, prioritising and completing tasks within scheduled timeframes.
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills at institutional, government and community levels, including the skill to prepare high-quality documentation and responding to internal and external enquiries.
- Understanding and knowledge of WHS issues and how these relate to safe practices for the movement, location and storage of collections, lifting and carrying objects, climbing ladders and use of tools.
Additional:
- This role statement is intended to provide an overall view of the role but in addition to this document, the specifics of the role will be described in business work plans.
- MAGNT is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in the workplace.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island applicants are encouraged to apply.
- MAGNT promotes flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.
- Applicants must have full Australian work rights.
- A valid Australian Drivers licence is essential.
Further information:
Applications must address the selection criteria and include three referee contacts.
Referees will not be contacted without prior consent.
For further information please visit our website at magnt.net.au or contact
Submit applications via email: [email protected] by 31 March 2021
