Lead Preparator

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond.  Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. 

At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity.

• Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture.

• Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community.

• Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community.

• Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection.

• Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles.

About the Role

The Lead Preparator is a senior member of The Huntington’s Preparation team, under Registration and Collections Management. This position is integral in the consistent planning and implementation of the institution’s schedule of special exhibitions, permanent collection rotations, and collections care.  The Lead Preparator’s primary responsibility is to prepare for and execute installations of Library, Art and Botanical exhibitions and outgoing loans, with a small team of preparators. They are responsible for handling, packing, transporting and storing artworks according to museum standards and training junior staff in these procedures.  Reports to Head of Preparations.

Essential Duties

• Leads the installation/de-installation of exhibitions, gallery rotations, collections rehousing projects and all related work, in collaboration with Registration, Exhibitions, Preservation and Curatorial colleagues.  Duties will include, but are not limited to:
  • Receiving, unpacking and packing artwork
  • Placement and hanging of artwork
  • Exhibition lighting
  • Creating or modifying mounts and case buildups
  • Retrofitting crate interiors
  • Wall and case repair
• Independently maintains their schedule of tasks and coordinates with Head of Preparations, registrars, conservators, and exhibition coordinators to plan out and execute the annual exhibition program
• Delegates tasks to and supervises a small team of preparators
• Maintains quality control in all operations
• Provides guidance to Broad DAP apprentices during their placements at The Huntington
• Plans and executes outgoing loan preparations
• Provides support in the installation of A/V components
• Ongoing monitoring and maintenance of gallery spaces, exhibition lighting and A/V elements
• Attends planning meetings and object review sessions
• Oversees frame buildouts for historic paintings
• Designs and implements training program in Huntington object prep procedures
• Maintains clean, well-organized and safe work and storage spaces
• Works with Registration and Collections Management colleagues to transport art between collections storage facilities and galleries, and to off-site locations for framing, photography, loan return/pickup, etc.
• Ensures adherence to SOPs and safety protocols in all operations (ladders, truck liftgate, scissor lift, forklift, order picker, etc.)
• Collaborates with colleagues in Registration, Preservation, Security, and Facilities to maintain Emergency Preparedness Plan for collections and loan material
• Procures materials and processes payments
• Provides status updates on ongoing projects
• Participates in HVAC monitoring

Candidate Requirements and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in studio art, art history, or equivalent experience
• At least six years of experience in preparation, collections management, and installation in a public gallery or museum setting
• Mastery of art-handling procedures, including packing and crating for two and three-dimensional objects in a variety of materials, sizes and weights
• Expertise in industry standard materials, processes, equipment, and safety protocols
• Working knowledge of works on paper preparation methods (mounting, matting, framing)
• Experience with carpentry, metalworking and acrylic fabrication
• Experience using heavy equipment, including scissor-lift, gantry, pallet jack, and pedal lift required
• Demonstrated experience with project management and task delegation
• Advanced rigging skills strongly preferred
• Must have work experience driving a medium-size truck
• Maintains TSA certified screener status
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds
• Must be comfortable climbing ladders and working at height

Other Desirable Qualifications:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with museum staff, representatives from other arts institutions, consultants, artists, and vendors
• Ability to plan, prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines
• Ability to ensure adherence to the institution’s values in all activities
• Safe driving record; work experience driving a medium-size truck
• Facility with word processing, Excel, Microsoft suite
• Proven solutions-oriented, diplomatic problem solver and true team player
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Working knowledge of electrical wiring

Compensation & Benefits 

We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including: 

• Pay Range: $32.00-$33.00. Commensurate with experience.
• Medical, Dental, Vision  
• 403(b) retirement plan and matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match 
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays 
• Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants 
• Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions 
• Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds 

The Application Process 

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment.  

You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.