Assistant Registrar for Exhibitions and Rights

About The Role
The Assistant Registrar for Exhibitions and Rights & Reproductions supports the preparation and management of SAM's special exhibitions and incoming loans to the permanent collection,providing administrative support to the Exhibitions Registrars, coordinating logistics, preparing documentation, and ensuring safe handling of artworks.

Additionally, the position oversees rights and reproduction for the museum's permanent collection managing image licensing requests, copyright compliance, and the organization of photography archives.

The successful candidate is highly detail-oriented, collaborative, and comfortable balancing logistics, documentation, and communication with both internal and external stakeholders

Key Responsibilities
Exhibitions and Loans

• Assist with organizing incoming and outgoing loans for special exhibitions and the permanent collection.
• Support the review and execution of SAM and lender loan agreements.
• Coordinate logistics with lenders, shippers, and partners for wall-to-wall transport of artworks.
• Prepare documentation including condition reports, shipping receipts, crate lists, and pro forma invoices.
• Oversee packing and unpacking during installation and deinstallation, maintaining related records.
• Assist in developing and monitoring exhibition budgets.
• Ensure accurate data entry in The Museum System (TMS), including object, loan, and shipping records.
• Participate in occasional art handling and courier duties as assigned.
• Maintain working knowledge of Registrar's Office procedures.

Rights & Reproductions

• Manage policies and procedures for rights and reproductions, ensuring alignment with SAM's mission and priorities.
• Receive, evaluate, and process internal and external image requests.
• Prepare agreements, invoice clients, track payments, and distribute approved images.
• Obtain curatorial approval for external image use when required.
• Provide guidance on copyright and intellectual property matters in consultation with legal counsel.
• Maintain and expand licensing agreements, track renewals, and ensure compliance.
• Respond to and coordinate requests for in gallery photography and filming.
• Organize and preserve slide and negative archives.
• Maintain accurate records of copyright ownership and licensing in TMS.
• Manage collection images published through eMuseum.

**FSLA STATUS: Full Time, Non Exempt

REPORTS TO: Registrar for Exhibitions

COMPENSATION: $ $29.13 Per Hour
WORK SCHEDULE**
This role is typically scheduled during business hours Monday–Friday. However, occasional evening and weekend hours may be required in support of exhibition schedules. This position is hybrid eligible under SAM's current workplace policy.

Benefits
Benefits include a fully employer-paid HMP medical plan or an employee contribution PPO plan, dental, vision, and basic life insurance/LTD/AD&D, Flexible Spending Account, Short Term Disability, Supplemental Dental Insurance, and participation in SAM's 403(b) retirement plan.

Following 1 year of service and 1,000 hours worked, SAM makes a discretionary 3% employer contribution regardless of participation and provides an employer match program. Historically, this contribution has been made annually.

Additional benefits include paid time off for vacation, PSST, bereavement leave, and jury duty, 11 scheduled holidays, 1 paid floating holiday, a subsidized unlimited ORCA card, onsite fitness facility, and an EAP. Full-time staff also receive a Patron-level membership to SAM, a Tier III membership to the American Alliance of Museums, and discounts to the museum shop and programming.

About Sam
Seattle Art Museum's vision is to be the museum for all of Seattle—a bold, dynamic hub of creativity, belonging, and cultural leadership, shaping the future of art and community. Our mission is to create a welcoming space where people find inspiration and discover our common humanity through exceptional art and dynamic, engaging programs.

As the leading visual arts institution in the Pacific Northwest, SAM shares global connections, powerful exhibitions, and vibrant programs to engage, educate, and inspire. SAM operates across three sites and is supported by over 365 employees, 10 executive leaders, and more than 200 volunteers.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in liberal arts, art history, studio art, design, museum studies, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 2 years of exhibition installation or registration experience.
• Knowledge of art handling, conservation, registration, and art security requirements.
• Familiarity with loan agreements, budgets, and fine art shipping logistics.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external partners.
• Strong organizational, communication, and time management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, Asana, Slack, and internet-based research.
• Ability to learn and maintain proficiency in The Museum System (TMS).
• Ability to pass and maintain security background check clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years of registration or rights & reproductions experience in a fine arts museum.
• Knowledge of copyright and intellectual property laws.
• Familiarity with TMS, eMuseum, and other museum database systems.
• Experience with image licensing and archives.

WORK CONDITIONS

• Exposure: Primarily indoors in climate-controlled galleries, offices, and storage spaces. Occasional exposure to varying air-quality standards and potentially hazardous materials may occur; PPE and training provided.
• Stationary Work: Approximately 60% of time spent at a desk; 40% moving around galleries and work areas.
• Communication: Clear and effective communication in English with colleagues, lenders, and external partners.
• Office Work: Regular use of computers, phones, copiers, and office equipment.
• Lifting/Carrying: Ability to move up to 50 pounds of crates, files, or supplies.

ACCOMMODATION
If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know at [email protected]

The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for all employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of this position. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected]

Celebrating difference
. At Seattle Art Museum, our members, visitors, and local community come from all walks of life, and so do our employees, volunteers, and interns. The plurality of our identities and experiences strengthens our mission: connecting art to life. Our mission and vision call us to be responsive to a multitude of cultural contexts and lived experiences, and as such, our Strategic Plan directly addresses the role art plays in empowering and elevating social justice movements, and promoting structural change to further equity in our society. SAM is particularly dedicated to racial equity in the workplace, because we know that people of color are the most impacted when it comes to both historical and present inequities. We know that equity is not a single fixed destination, it's ongoing reckoning. As SAM continually strives to be a more inclusive and equitable workplace, we are particularly interested in engaging with those who have been historically underrepresented in the museum field. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we celebrate difference.

SAM is an equal opportunity employer
. We are an equal opportunity employer, and consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, sensory, physical, or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know at The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for all employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of the role. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact For candidates, we ask that, if possible, you wait until you're invited to a screen, online technical assessment or interview before requesting an accommodation.

We encourage you to apply
. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we include, celebrate and embrace difference. We encourage you to submit an application, even if your experience doesn't feel like a 100% match with the position. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, and research tells us that womxn and folks of color are less likely to apply if they don't see themselves meeting or exceeding every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply, even if you feel unsure about whether you meet every requirement in this job post. You could very well be a great fit for this role or others.

Requirements for employment.
In order to be employed by the Seattle Art Museum, you must reside in the state of Washington. Employment at SAM is contingent upon successful clearing and maintenance of clearance in both a federal and state criminal background check.

Want to learn more?
If you haven't already, check out our Careers page for more on working at SAM.

Though we'd love to be able to reply to every question that crosses our desk, due to the high volume of applications we receive, our HR team is unfortunately unable to offer a response to inquiries requesting search status updates, inquiries about hiring timeline, or requests to be put in touch with directly with the Hiring Team. If your experiences and capabilities are well suited to an open role, our Recruiter or the Hiring Manager will reach out directly to schedule an interview. Thanks for your understanding