Amanda Thompson, PhD, is a design historian specializing in
the social history of sewn arts, such as dress, quilts and dolls. Her research focuses on the
dynamics of craft and gender within a settler colonial context and, more broadly, American craft
within an intersectional framework. Her research has been supported by fellowships and grants
from the American Philosophical Society, Center for Craft, Decorative Arts Trust, Hagley Museum
and Library, and Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others. She has written
for anthologies and journals including Collections and the Journal of Modern Craft. Amanda also
has over fifteen years’ experience managing collections and exhibitions for museums including
the New-York Historical Society, the Museum for African Art, and The Jewish Museum. She
currently serves on the Board of the Tomaquag Museum, an Indigenous-led institution
committed to expanding knowledge of the Native cultures and peoples of Southern New England.
Amanda received her PhD in Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture from the Bard
Graduate Center.
Amanda Thompson
Visiting Faculty
Visiting Faculty and Fellows
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