About Us
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.
The Huntington
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.
The Culture
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.
Job Description
About the Role
The Preparator II is a member of the institution’s Preparation Department, under the Registration and Collection Management Department. This position is integral in the consistent planning and implementation of the Institution’s schedule of special exhibitions, permanent collection rotations, and collections care. This position is part of a team of preparatory staff. The position’s primary responsibility is to assist in all handling, display preparations, installation, packing, storage and care of artworks according to museum standards. Reports to Head of Preparations.
Essential Duties
Assists with object preparation, installation/de-installation of exhibitions, gallery rotations, and collection rehousing projects, working with colleagues in the Registration, Exhibitions, and Preservation department. Related duties will include, but are not limited to:
Receiving, unpacking and packing artworks
Assist curators in placement of artworks in galleries
Handling and installing artworks and collections objects
Hinging, matting and framing artworks
Generating profiles and schematics for display mounts (book cradles, slants)
Creating or modifying display mounts and case risers/buildups
Performing carpentry work such as retrofitting crates and modifying pedestals
Spackling and painting
Lighting exhibitions, to Curatorial and Preservation standards
Monitoring and maintenance of exhibition lighting and A/V elements
Performing regular gallery dusting and cleaning
Assisting with buildouts of historic painting frames
Organizing supplies and communicating resupply needs
Driving art preparation vehicles to transport art on and off campus
Attending and occasionally leading in-house training workshops in Huntington object prep…