Working Iowa: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art looks to fill rare opening

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has a rare opening on their staff. They’re searching for a registrar - preparator in a new dual role position.

Like the history its art portrays, the museum has a rich tradition. It began in 1895, first as an art club. Staff members over the years have also stood the test of time. Several of them have held their positions for more than a decade.

”We don’t have these positions come up very often,” said Sean Ulmer, Executive Director at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

The new position will care for the collection in more ways than one.

“The registrar is in charge of keeping track of the collection, where every piece is. We have 8,000 objects in the collection and the registrar maintains our database,” Ulmer explained.

The preparator portion of the job involves hanging the collection and preparing it.

“If it’s something from our collection, they might be matting and framing the work, getting it ready for the curator to lay out,” said Ulmer.

The museum is hoping to find someone with three to five years experience working with art, and a bachelors degree in a related field. It’s an opportunity for a person who loves art to work with it closely.

“It is the one position in the museum with the most contact time with the collection,” Ulmer said.

It’s a collection that dates back centuries, with forever to go.

“We take care of these works, so they’re as clean as vibrant 2,3,4, 500 years from now as they are today. We’re looking into the very far future, so these can be shared with countless individuals,” said Ulmer.

Information to apply can be found here.

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