Jen Padgett, MA ’12, PhD ’18, is featured in the latest issue of WashU Magazine for her groundbreaking role as the first endowed curator at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and her wonderful work in numerous exhibitions. Padgett has been with Crystal Bridges for six years, rising through the ranks from assistant curator to associate curator of modern art. In fall 2023, Padgett was appointed the Wingate Curator of Craft, a milestone position that reflects the museum’s growing emphasis on craft as a key element of American art.
Padgett is currently helping guide a major 100,000-square-foot expansion of the museum, designed by architect Moshe Safdie and set for completion in summer 2026.
In addition to co-creating the landmark Crafting America (2021) with scholar Glenn Adamson, Padgett has curated a range of acclaimed exhibitions, including Diego Rivera’s America (2023–24, venue curator), Seeing One Another: New Views on the Alfred Stieglitz Collection (2023–24), After The Last Supper (2020–21), and Tempera (2019).
Through her work, Padgett is helping expand the museum’s capacity to tell more inclusive and diverse stories of American art through the medium of craft.
