Adam MacPhàrlain is the Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Missouri Historical Society, where he has worked since January [2021]. Prior to his time with the Missouri Historical Society, Adam worked at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

     Before entering the workforce, Adam knew he wanted to work with fashion early on in college. He explains, “I’m one of those lucky people that kind of knew what I wanted to do pretty early on.” While in high school, Adam already knew he wanted to go into fashion design. In his first semester of college, he took a class on fashion history. During this course, Adam worked with his classmates to set up an exhibition, where he mounted historical costumes spanning the 19th century. While he continued to study fashion design, his interest in the historical aspect of clothing strengthened while interning at a museum. After graduating, Adam decided to further his education by studying museum studies at the University of Leicester. During his time abroad, he interned at the Royal Shakespeare Company. There Adam worked in their costume archives, handling objects worn by actors from Vivian Leigh to Patrick Stewart to Judi Dench.

     After completing his master’s degree, he graduated into the 2008 economic crisis, which left him doing contract work for a few years. Regardless of what he was doing, Adam was “able to tailor his work to fashion history.” After being a curatorial assistant at the Cincinnati Art Museum, he made the next step in his career by donning the mantle of Missouri Historical Society’s curator. “What drew me here was the size of the collection… and knowing I can build on the work already done,” Adam explains. The collection, which he is still learning, spans over 18,000 items and is almost as old as the museum itself. These objects are divided into three collections, including the Katherine Dunham collection, which centers on dancer Katherine Dunham; the Veil Prophet Collection, a collection that features a local philanthropic society; and a broader historical collection.

     Adam is excited to contribute to the museum’s dedication “to improve representations of the LGBTQ community, African American community, and Chinese American community.” He hopes to contribute to this movement by “working to flesh out identity through clothing that’s not as outwardly obvious” as often explored territories like protest wear or t-shirts. As a part of his role, Adam also works closely with the St. Louis Fashion Fund, which helps the local, BIPOC-driven fashion industry with entrepreneurship and resource building. “We know where the gaps are, and we want to fix it,” he elaborates. “That’s why I came here is to help that process and to make sure that we’re doing it right.” These standards of progression are upheld not only by the clothing and textiles collection but across different departments. This communal effort to uphold these initiatives, which creates the collaborative nature of the museum, is one of Adam’s favorite aspects of the job.

     Another favorite aspect is the variety of work he faces daily. A familiar refrain amongst curators, Adam assures us “that there is no average day.” Whether talking to donors, diving through the collection storage, updating the database, or working with the fashion fund, his days as a one-person department are never the same. In addition to his list of tasks, Adam also develops exhibitions. Currently, he is developing an upcoming exhibition that will focus on childhood. “It’ll be fairly lighthearted, fairly nostalgic,” Adam explains, “but bringing in speakers and programs will be more hard-hitting.”

     When asked his advice for his younger self, Adam emphasizes community and networking. Volunteer and intern early, stay in contact with the connections you make, join professional organizations such as CSA, and present at conferences. But don’t just stop there—keep up the connections and see where they lead. “Networking is hard,” he understands. “But most of us are friendly people! We like each other outside of conferences. It’s an important part of building that friendship.”

     In December 2021, Adam was featured in a Dress & Drinks webinar that can be seen on our YouTube channel. You can check out all of our Curator Profiles by clicking here.


~Profile written by Stephanie Ray

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