Amanda Thompson

Amanda Thompson 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. Additionally, Amanda’s depth of experience managing collections and exhibitions for museums, including the New York Historical Society, the Museum for African Art and the Jewish Museum, informs critical work in the field of museum studies. 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. 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.