the Registrar of the Year Award
From the artist’s studio to the museum, gallery, biennial or collector’s home, art is always moving. If the art handlers who transport the work are the arteries of the art world, then the registrars and collections managers are its nerves.
These logistical masterminds often possess a superhuman attention to detail coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of all the works coming their way; from the paper it is printed on down to how that paper ages, and the best way to ensure it travels safely. Yet through all the condition reports, insurance forms, late night emails and solved mysteries, the stalwart registrar is often in the shadows.
In recognition of these steel-nerved super-beings, Atelier 4 launched the first annual Registrar of the Year Award. #registraroftheyear
On December 11th, 2019 Rajshree Solanki received a $5000 cash prize and was crowned 2019’s Registrar of the Year during an event at the newly-renovated Artists Space in New York City. This year, the event will be held on the grounds of Atelier 4’s newest facility in Charlotte, NC.
“As a leading logistics company we deal with registrars on an hourly basis and recognize how they are the overlooked and under-acknowledged cogs in the art world system,” says Jonathan Schwartz, Founder and CEO, Atelier 4.
Danielle Hall Bennett, past president of the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists, expressed her excitement for the award as well. “Registrars and collections specialists represent an essential and all-to-often overlooked piece of the cultural heritage world,” she said. “It is wonderful to see them being recognized for their contributions to their fields in this way.”
Live music provided by Pearl & the Charlotte Holding Company, a Janis Joplin experience, featuring Travis Laughlin as Pearl , Brent Dunn (Alternative Champs, Righteous Gemstones) on bass, Darrin Gray (It’s Snakes, The Eyebrows, The Chalkies) on drums, Jay Garrigan (The Eyebrows, Poprocket, Violet Strange, Laburnum) on lead guitar, Shawn Lynch (The Eyebrows, Poprocket) guitar and Jason Atkins (Greazy Keyz) keyboards.
How it works
Nominations must come from a colleague, and nominees must have the professional title of “Registrar”, or the equivalent. We know that many in the art world wear multiple hats, but this one is for the full-timers. Nominations will consist of a brief written questionnaire that explains what makes your registrar truly stand out. To nominate your registrar, simply head to our nominate page and submit your entry along with a headshot (for promotional purposes) and an email contact so we can keep you informed.
Nominations will open on July 5th and close at midnight (EST) on July 18th, at which point all nominees will go up for public voting.
Nominees and their respective organizations are encouraged to drive their friends and colleagues to show their support by voting. Please tag your efforts with #registraroftheyear
At midnight (EST) on August 18th voting will close and the top 20 nominees will be reviewed by our acclaimed guest judge, Dr. William U. Eiland, former Director of the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia.
All top nominees will be invited to attend the 2023 Registrar of the Year party September 22 at Atelier 4’s campus in Charlotte, NC, where the winner will be announced.
Nominees will be judged on a range of criteria including professional accomplishments and innovations, technical acumen, art historical knowledge, and extraordinary experiences, instances of going the extra mile, and entertaining or heartfelt anecdotes.
Dr. William U. Eiland
Judging
Dr. William U. Eiland will serve as the judge for the 2023 Registrar of the Year!
A native of Sprott, Ala., William Underwood Eiland is the director of the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia. He has a doctoral degree from the University of Virginia and has written, edited and contributed to more than 60 publications. He has served on the boards of the American Alliance of Museums, the Southeastern Museums Conference and the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries; was a trustee of the Association of Art Museum Directors; was chairman of NEA’s Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Advisory Panel, and was vice-chair of AAM’s Accreditation Commission. Since 2013 he has been a trustee of the International Council of Museums. Eiland, in 2013, received the American Alliance of Museums Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his contributions to the field on a national level. Most recently, in October 2017, he received the Governor’s Award for the Arts & Humanities. With his retirement in April of 2023, Eiland was named director emeritus of the Georgia Museum of Art.
Rules
Use our guide to determine eligibility and learn about the full contest timeline!
Rajshree Solanki, Senior Curator
National Museum of the United States Navy
Honoree
Rajshree (Raj) Solanki is the Senior Curator at the National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN). Before this, she was the Director of Collections and Head Registrar at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Registrar at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, and Registration Loan Specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian.
From working with Navy sailors, Indigenous communities throughout the Americas, and international cultural institutions, Raj learned to ask the right questions to assess and understand a community’s subject matter, collections and needs while fostering community collaborations to gain further knowledge on collections stewardship. This ability to collaborate and cultivate relationships is the throughline that defines her years in leadership roles at diverse cultural organizations and has led her to NMUSN. Her passion is researching, stewarding, and curating such diverse collections to educate and enrich the public. She brings this knowledge and expertise to develop a successful, meaningful exhibitions program and build a new museum of the Navy.
In 2019, she was voted the country’s Registrar of the Year by her peers.
Cherie Summers
Past Honorees
The inaugural Registrar of the Year Award honored Cherie Summers. In 1992, Atelier 4 CEO Jonathan Schwartz met Cherie Summers in the early days of Atelier 4 when she served as Registrar of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Her openness and generosity during that encounter helped inspire the Registrar of the Year Award. Cherie began her career at the Guggenheim Museum in 1978 and in her more than 35-year-long career would work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Even following her formal retirement in 2014 her professional acumen and strength of character shines through as she continues to serve as a mentor and valued contributor to the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS), and works at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum today.
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