Director of Collections & Registration

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) seeks a Director of Collections and Registration to lead the care, documentation, and stewardship of a collection of nearly 38,000 objects. Known for its commitment to artist-built environments, self-taught and contemporary art, and ambitious artist-driven exhibitions, JMKAC offers a distinctive opportunity for a collections leader who pairs rigorous museum practice with creativity and sound judgment.

In 2026, ARTnews ranked JMKAC No. 6 on its list of the 30 best art museums in the United States, highlighting the Art Preserve, the Arts/Industry residency, and exhibitions that cannot be experienced elsewhere. Across its 133,000-square-foot campus—the 77,000-square-foot Arts Center and the 56,000-square-foot Art Preserve—JMKAC brings together collection care, research, exhibitions, and public access in ways that invite fresh thinking about how art is preserved and shared.

This position has become unexpectedly vacant following the passing of JMKAC's recently appointed Director of Collections and Registration. The Arts Center seeks a new leader to continue the work underway and advance its long-term priorities for the stewardship and accessibility of the collection.

Reporting to the Chief Curator, the Director of Collections and Registration leads a team of three within a visual arts department of approximately twenty. The Director is responsible for the care, management, and documentation of the permanent collection and for registrarial oversight of a dynamic exhibition program. The role calls for a leader who is attentive to detail and grounded in professional standards, while able to devise thoughtful solutions for unconventional materials, complex installations, and artist-built environments.

The collection encompasses artist-built and artist home-based environments, folk art, works by self-taught and contemporary artists, and art created through the Arts/Industry residency. The Director will help shape collections policy, support responsible growth, and expand access for researchers and the public. Working closely with curators, artists, exhibition colleagues, and other departments, the Director will balance the long-term needs of the collection with ambitious program goals and help implement JMKAC's Collecting Plan and Ten-Year Strategic Priorities.

JMKAC values a collaborative, resourceful approach often expressed as "yes, and how." Candidates need not arrive as specialists in nontraditional or vernacular art. They should bring substantial collections and registration expertise, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to work directly with objects and colleagues across the institution.

JMKAC's collection of nearly 38,000 objects is especially notable for more than three dozen artist-built environments, artist home-based environments, Arts/Industry works, and works by self-taught and contemporary artists. It spans painting, sculpture, photography, new genres, and large-scale installations. An acquisition partnership with the Kohler Foundation has brought more than 6,000 objects into the collection over the past three years.

Opened in 2020, the 56,000-square-foot Art Preserve was designed by Tres Birds of Denver specifically for artist-built environments. It combines visible storage and curated displays with education, library, and researcher access spaces. The facility embodies JMKAC's commitment to both caring for these singular works and making…