Parker Thompson Email & Phone Number

I am an emerging museum professional with a scholarly background in the history of photography, American media, and 19th and 20th-century social history. My research centers on vernacular photography, especially as it relates to visual agency in African American communities. Recently, I joined the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library as a Lois F. McNeil Fellow in American Material Culture.My professional experience includes internships at both fine arts and cultural heritage institutions. From 2023 to 2024, I worked as an Objects Conservation Intern at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). At the MFA, I utilized an extensive technical background to spearhead 3D imaging projects. Additionally, I supported conservation treatments, collections care efforts, and exhibition development. Prior to the MFA, I worked as a Collections Stewardship Intern for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In that role, I cataloged and extensively researched the personal photography collection of Jimmie Daniels, a Black queer nightclub owner and performer of the Harlem Renaissance.Since 2020, I have operated the Always Been Project, an independent curatorial endeavor focused on African American vernacular photography. With $25,000+ in grant funding raised to support the project, I have developed a robust collection of more than 3,000 photographs and photographic ephemera. In 2023, I curated an exhibition using works from the collection for the Griffin Museum of Photography.