Curator of Costume and Textiles and Head of Department
Philadelphia, PA
Full Time
Manager/Supervisor
Philadelphia Art Museum
Curator of Costume and Textiles and Head of Department
POSITION
Philadelphia Art Museum
Curator of Costume and Textiles, Head of Department
Philadelphia, PA, USA, On-site role
Full-Time, Exempt (35 hours/week)
Reports to: Chief Curator
Deadline to apply: accepting applications, Final deadline 16 February 2026.
The Philadelphia Art Museum is one of the nation’s most distinguished cultural institutions, renowned for its encyclopedic collections and ambitious exhibitions and programs. As the Museum approaches its 150th anniversary in 2026, it continues to serve as both an international destination and a vital civic and cultural anchor for Philadelphia, engaging diverse audiences through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and public programs.
To advance its mission and strengthen leadership in fashion, historic dress, textiles, and fiber art, the Museum seeks an accomplished and visionary curator to lead its Department of Costume and Textiles. Charged with stewarding and expanding one of the most significant collections in the United States, this senior position encompasses works across cultures, geographies, materials, and historical periods. This is a rare opportunity to shape and define a program of acquisitions, exhibitions, research, and public engagement that underscores the relevance of costume and textiles within both historical and contemporary contexts. A pivotal leadership position, it requires a curator energized by building structures, setting priorities, and shaping a department’s culture, practices, and long-term direction
The Museum is led by Daniel H. Weiss, George D. Widener Director and CEO, and supported by a dedicated professional staff, strong local and global networks, and active collector and donor communities. Curatorial and conservation functions are overseen by Louis Marchesano, the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation, working in close collaboration with Chief Curator Jessica Smith. Together, Marchesano and Smith bring deep institutional knowledge and long-standing experience at the Museum, having joined in 2019 and 2016, respectively.
Judith Pineiro Consulting has been retained to lead the search for the Curator and Head of Costume and Textiles at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Application instructions appear at the conclusion of this position description.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Chief Curator, this position provides strategic, intellectual, and administrative leadership for the Department of Costume and Textiles. Department growth will be shaped through team leadership and mentoring, deep engagement with the collection through research and documentation, the development of exhibitions and publications, and active collaboration across the Museum. Scholarly rigor, imagination, and a collaborative approach will be essential to advancing departmental work and energizing public engagement.
As a member of the Museum’s senior curatorial leadership, the Head of Costume and Textiles works closely with colleagues in curatorial, conservation, learning, and advancement, as well as with partners locally, nationally, and internationally, contributing to broader institutional goals.
Candidate Profile
While no one candidate will possess every qualification listed below, ideal candidates will demonstrate many of the following attributes:
Curatorial Leadership & Collection Stewardship
Overall responsibility includes planning, developing, interpreting, and guiding the long-term growth of the Museum’s costume and textile collection. All collection activities fall within the scope—research, documentation, installations, exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, deaccessioning, and loans—ensuring rigorous study, thoughtful interpretation, and responsible stewardship. Sustained, hands-on engagement with the collection is central to success, bringing intellectual curiosity, close looking, and a commitment to deepening knowledge through research, documentation, and discovery across both costume and textile holdings.
Close partnership with Conservation ensures the highest standards of care, storage, and display for textiles and garments, balancing preservation with access and interpretation.
Exhibitions, Research & Scholarship
Special exhibitions and permanent collection installations will be conceived and developed to illuminate fashion, dress, textiles, and fiber art across cultures and contexts, positioning these works within historical and contemporary narratives across the Museum’s collecting areas. Original research—grounded in the collection and responsive to emerging scholarship—will be supported and advanced through publications, including essays, catalogue entries, and related scholarly contributions. Public-facing scholarship is expected through lectures, gallery talks, symposia, and professional conferences.
Collaboration & Education
Strong collaboration underpins the work, calling for excellent interpersonal skills, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Cross-departmental projects move forward through clear communication, mutual respect, and practical problem-solving in partnership with colleagues throughout the Museum. Work with Learning and Engagement teams includes developing interpretive and educational materials—gallery texts and public programs—that translate scholarship into accessible, engaging narratives for diverse audiences.
Success also depends on the ability to synthesize perspectives, manage competing priorities, and build consensus in a complex, evolving environment. Diplomacy, flexibility, and calm judgment are important, particularly when navigating shifting timelines, ambiguity, and the expectations of highly engaged stakeholders, including donors and trustees.
Advancement
Confident, professional representation in donor-facing settings is essential, with the ability to build trust, manage expectations, and steward relationships over time. Fundraising and relationship-building efforts are advanced in close collaboration with the Advancement Department, including cultivation of individual donors, foundations, corporate partners, and peer institutions. Preparations for and presentations to the Curatorial Committee are led by this role, including biannual meetings, written reports, and strategic discussions.
Department Leadership & Financial Management
It is essential that the position provides managerial and financial leadership, supervising and mentoring staff—including curators, fellows, and assistants—while fostering professional development, accountability, and a collaborative team culture. As Curator and Head of the Costume and Textile Department, there will be a requirement for experienced hiring, managing, and supporting teams, with a demonstrated commitment to leadership development and professional growth for everyone.
The curator is responsible for developing, managing, and monitoring the department’s annual operating budget, ensuring sound financial judgment, transparency, and alignment with strategic and programmatic goals. This includes assessing the financial implications of exhibitions, acquisitions, and programs, and ensuring responsible stewardship of departmental resources.
Direct Experience
The successful candidate will bring an advanced degree in art history, fashion history, textile studies, or a related field, along with extensive curatorial experience—typically ten or more years—within a collecting institution. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong record of leadership, including responsibility for collection management, acquisitions, and cross-departmental collaboration, as well as sustained scholarly engagement evidenced through exhibitions, publications, and original research.
Hands-on experience supervising and mentoring staff, leading complex, multi-year projects, and managing departmental and project-based budgets is essential. Demonstrated success in fundraising and donor cultivation is required. Excellent written and oral communication skills are expected, along with facility in databases and other standard digital tools. Active engagement in professional networks and scholarly communities further underscores commitment to advancing curatorial practice.
Institutional Alignment
The Curator of Costume and Textiles and Head of Department is expected to uphold the highest professional standards and act in ways that protect and enhance the Museum’s reputation. The role requires discretion, integrity, respect for colleagues and visitors, and a demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and collaboration. All staff must adhere to the Museum’s code of ethics, policies, and protocols.
Position & Compensation Details
The annual salary for the role is anticipated to be $145,000 - $165,000. Curatorial roles are offered support for travel, scholarship, training, and professional development opportunities; however, all requests must be pre-approved by institutional leadership in accordance with policy. The Museum’s employees are at the center of the institution, and we are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; fully paid short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance; health savings or flexible spending account programs; a retirement savings program with an employer match; and paid vacation, personal days, sick days, and holidays.
In addition, employees enjoy special perks, including free general admission for themselves and their immediate family, discounted guest tickets, discounts on gift memberships, staff tours and presentations led by curatorial and conservation teams, as well as savings at the Museum’s restaurant, cafés, and retail and online stores. Eligibility for certain benefits is based on a variety of factors, including an employee’s regular schedule and tenure.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES & NOMINATIONS
Applications are currently being reviewed and selected for interviews. While there is a firm deadline for applications of 12 February 2026, we strongly encourage candidates to apply early.
Judith Pineiro Consulting has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please send all nominations and inquiries to [email protected].
To apply for the position, please submit your letter of interest and resume.
This position has the physical requirements of being able to remain stationary for extended periods of time, to utilize computers and other office equipment required of this job, to perform physically administrative duties in a typical interior office environment, gallery, or exhibit space, and to access most public and staff areas of the museum campus, and be able to operate a computer/keyboard and other office equipment used to generate work/transmit data. The PMA conducts background checks, which are required after a conditional job offer is made. The consideration of the background check will be tailored to the job's requirements. This position description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, and additional duties may be required outside of these responsibilities as needed.
Curator of Costume and Textiles and Head of Department
POSITION
Philadelphia Art Museum
Curator of Costume and Textiles, Head of Department
Philadelphia, PA, USA, On-site role
Full-Time, Exempt (35 hours/week)
Reports to: Chief Curator
Deadline to apply: accepting applications, Final deadline 16 February 2026.
The Philadelphia Art Museum is one of the nation’s most distinguished cultural institutions, renowned for its encyclopedic collections and ambitious exhibitions and programs. As the Museum approaches its 150th anniversary in 2026, it continues to serve as both an international destination and a vital civic and cultural anchor for Philadelphia, engaging diverse audiences through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and public programs.
To advance its mission and strengthen leadership in fashion, historic dress, textiles, and fiber art, the Museum seeks an accomplished and visionary curator to lead its Department of Costume and Textiles. Charged with stewarding and expanding one of the most significant collections in the United States, this senior position encompasses works across cultures, geographies, materials, and historical periods. This is a rare opportunity to shape and define a program of acquisitions, exhibitions, research, and public engagement that underscores the relevance of costume and textiles within both historical and contemporary contexts. A pivotal leadership position, it requires a curator energized by building structures, setting priorities, and shaping a department’s culture, practices, and long-term direction
The Museum is led by Daniel H. Weiss, George D. Widener Director and CEO, and supported by a dedicated professional staff, strong local and global networks, and active collector and donor communities. Curatorial and conservation functions are overseen by Louis Marchesano, the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation, working in close collaboration with Chief Curator Jessica Smith. Together, Marchesano and Smith bring deep institutional knowledge and long-standing experience at the Museum, having joined in 2019 and 2016, respectively.
Judith Pineiro Consulting has been retained to lead the search for the Curator and Head of Costume and Textiles at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Application instructions appear at the conclusion of this position description.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Chief Curator, this position provides strategic, intellectual, and administrative leadership for the Department of Costume and Textiles. Department growth will be shaped through team leadership and mentoring, deep engagement with the collection through research and documentation, the development of exhibitions and publications, and active collaboration across the Museum. Scholarly rigor, imagination, and a collaborative approach will be essential to advancing departmental work and energizing public engagement.
As a member of the Museum’s senior curatorial leadership, the Head of Costume and Textiles works closely with colleagues in curatorial, conservation, learning, and advancement, as well as with partners locally, nationally, and internationally, contributing to broader institutional goals.
Candidate Profile
While no one candidate will possess every qualification listed below, ideal candidates will demonstrate many of the following attributes:
Curatorial Leadership & Collection Stewardship
Overall responsibility includes planning, developing, interpreting, and guiding the long-term growth of the Museum’s costume and textile collection. All collection activities fall within the scope—research, documentation, installations, exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, deaccessioning, and loans—ensuring rigorous study, thoughtful interpretation, and responsible stewardship. Sustained, hands-on engagement with the collection is central to success, bringing intellectual curiosity, close looking, and a commitment to deepening knowledge through research, documentation, and discovery across both costume and textile holdings.
Close partnership with Conservation ensures the highest standards of care, storage, and display for textiles and garments, balancing preservation with access and interpretation.
Exhibitions, Research & Scholarship
Special exhibitions and permanent collection installations will be conceived and developed to illuminate fashion, dress, textiles, and fiber art across cultures and contexts, positioning these works within historical and contemporary narratives across the Museum’s collecting areas. Original research—grounded in the collection and responsive to emerging scholarship—will be supported and advanced through publications, including essays, catalogue entries, and related scholarly contributions. Public-facing scholarship is expected through lectures, gallery talks, symposia, and professional conferences.
Collaboration & Education
Strong collaboration underpins the work, calling for excellent interpersonal skills, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Cross-departmental projects move forward through clear communication, mutual respect, and practical problem-solving in partnership with colleagues throughout the Museum. Work with Learning and Engagement teams includes developing interpretive and educational materials—gallery texts and public programs—that translate scholarship into accessible, engaging narratives for diverse audiences.
Success also depends on the ability to synthesize perspectives, manage competing priorities, and build consensus in a complex, evolving environment. Diplomacy, flexibility, and calm judgment are important, particularly when navigating shifting timelines, ambiguity, and the expectations of highly engaged stakeholders, including donors and trustees.
Advancement
Confident, professional representation in donor-facing settings is essential, with the ability to build trust, manage expectations, and steward relationships over time. Fundraising and relationship-building efforts are advanced in close collaboration with the Advancement Department, including cultivation of individual donors, foundations, corporate partners, and peer institutions. Preparations for and presentations to the Curatorial Committee are led by this role, including biannual meetings, written reports, and strategic discussions.
Department Leadership & Financial Management
It is essential that the position provides managerial and financial leadership, supervising and mentoring staff—including curators, fellows, and assistants—while fostering professional development, accountability, and a collaborative team culture. As Curator and Head of the Costume and Textile Department, there will be a requirement for experienced hiring, managing, and supporting teams, with a demonstrated commitment to leadership development and professional growth for everyone.
The curator is responsible for developing, managing, and monitoring the department’s annual operating budget, ensuring sound financial judgment, transparency, and alignment with strategic and programmatic goals. This includes assessing the financial implications of exhibitions, acquisitions, and programs, and ensuring responsible stewardship of departmental resources.
Direct Experience
The successful candidate will bring an advanced degree in art history, fashion history, textile studies, or a related field, along with extensive curatorial experience—typically ten or more years—within a collecting institution. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong record of leadership, including responsibility for collection management, acquisitions, and cross-departmental collaboration, as well as sustained scholarly engagement evidenced through exhibitions, publications, and original research.
Hands-on experience supervising and mentoring staff, leading complex, multi-year projects, and managing departmental and project-based budgets is essential. Demonstrated success in fundraising and donor cultivation is required. Excellent written and oral communication skills are expected, along with facility in databases and other standard digital tools. Active engagement in professional networks and scholarly communities further underscores commitment to advancing curatorial practice.
Institutional Alignment
The Curator of Costume and Textiles and Head of Department is expected to uphold the highest professional standards and act in ways that protect and enhance the Museum’s reputation. The role requires discretion, integrity, respect for colleagues and visitors, and a demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and collaboration. All staff must adhere to the Museum’s code of ethics, policies, and protocols.
Position & Compensation Details
The annual salary for the role is anticipated to be $145,000 - $165,000. Curatorial roles are offered support for travel, scholarship, training, and professional development opportunities; however, all requests must be pre-approved by institutional leadership in accordance with policy. The Museum’s employees are at the center of the institution, and we are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; fully paid short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance; health savings or flexible spending account programs; a retirement savings program with an employer match; and paid vacation, personal days, sick days, and holidays.
In addition, employees enjoy special perks, including free general admission for themselves and their immediate family, discounted guest tickets, discounts on gift memberships, staff tours and presentations led by curatorial and conservation teams, as well as savings at the Museum’s restaurant, cafés, and retail and online stores. Eligibility for certain benefits is based on a variety of factors, including an employee’s regular schedule and tenure.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES & NOMINATIONS
Applications are currently being reviewed and selected for interviews. While there is a firm deadline for applications of 12 February 2026, we strongly encourage candidates to apply early.
Judith Pineiro Consulting has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please send all nominations and inquiries to [email protected].
To apply for the position, please submit your letter of interest and resume.
This position has the physical requirements of being able to remain stationary for extended periods of time, to utilize computers and other office equipment required of this job, to perform physically administrative duties in a typical interior office environment, gallery, or exhibit space, and to access most public and staff areas of the museum campus, and be able to operate a computer/keyboard and other office equipment used to generate work/transmit data. The PMA conducts background checks, which are required after a conditional job offer is made. The consideration of the background check will be tailored to the job's requirements. This position description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, and additional duties may be required outside of these responsibilities as needed.
Apply for this position
Required*