Although most museums prohibit people from touching their displays, Jim Mahoney handles art all day long. Mahoney is an assistant registrar for the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian Institution’s museum of modern art. He takes care of the paintings, drawings, sculptures and even light installations that the museum acquires.
Mahoney didn’t grow up aspiring to be a registrar. “I wanted to be a rock-and-roll musician,” he confesses. But instead of hitting the road, Mahoney hit the books and majored in art history at Harvard University.
After graduation, Mahoney landed a job working on a database for art collections at the Smithsonian Institution. He later snatched up the registrar position at the Hirshhorn. A museum registrar, notes Maureen Hanratty, a former registration assistant at the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, is in charge of recording the condition of a work of art. "But this is only a part of their broad job description," Hanratty says. "Registrars are responsible for the shipping and packaging of artwork, proper storage of artwork, the accessioning and deaccessioning of objects, legal documents pertaining to objects, etc."
At the Hirshhorn, Mahoney documents the condition of new art for the museum’s records. “We draw as much data as possible about a piece: finger prints, scratches, anything,” he says. He gets to discover a lot of things museum visitors never get to see, such as the scratched-out titles on the backs of paintings when artists choose other names for their works. “It’s really fun to explore a Paul Gauguin sculpture or discover a cigarette butt in a Jackson Pollock painting,” Mahoney says. “We were cataloging a Georgia O’Keeffe pastel drawing. When I removed the Plexiglas covering it, the color jumped out 300 percent. It was pretty astonishing to see the raw pastel.” Sometimes, Mahoney works with materials more unusual than paints and sculpture. He’s worked with large pieces of wax and dried flowers. “So far, we haven’t had to deal with dead animals yet,” Mahoney says, acknowledging the unusual things artists use in contemporary art pieces. He says that working on the museum’s permanent collection is a job with a “fairly relaxed pace.”
Mahoney spends a typical day examining artwork and entering information into the museum’s database. Curators use this information for research. Conservators use the records to determine any damage, and future registrars will use it to note any changes in the artwork’s condition. Being a registrar can provide experience toward becoming a conservator, a position that typically pays more than a registrar position. Mahoney says museum registrars are like nurses and conservators are the “doctors” who restore an artwork if it has suffered damage.
A registrar’s starting salary can range between $20,000 and $30,000. Depending on the museum’s location, registrars can make up to $50,000 a year. Conservators earn about $10,000 more than registrars do each year, but the position also requires more education and training. “Nobody works in a museum to get rich,” Mahoney says.
One good thing about working in a museum is that it tends to be a stable position. Museums always need someone to take care of their acquisitions. And with attendance to them in-creasing, Mahoney says, museums are enjoying a lot of public support. The best way to get experience for a career in museums is to ask a local museum or gallery about volunteer or internship opportunities. Museums in art, history and science all typically have registrars on staff.
To prepare for an art museum career, Mahoney suggests classes in painting, drawing or another applied art, art history; philosophy and psychology. He also suggests reading magazines such as Art in America, Art News and Artforum. These magazines publish articles on exhibitions and events around the world. In his free time, Mahoney makes his own artwork, writes and teaches about art and is a curator for some exhibitions. “My job dovetails with what I really do,” he says. He hopes he’ll be able to focus on these independent art activities someday. In the meantime, Mahoney enjoys spending his days with modern and contemporary masters.
------- Here are some of the unique job opportunities offered by museums. • Conservators maintain and restore objects that have been damaged. • Curators select work for the permanent collection, choose the artwork and give suggestions on exhibition display. • Development Officers raise money for the museum by applying for grants and gifts. They also oversee the membership department. • Education Officers find museum guides and develop programs to help visitors understand the exhibits. • Preparators help prepare an object for viewing. For example, a preparator might hang a painting or build a display case for a work of art. • Registrars record objects, as well as handles the objects’ storage and display.
