Biography

Susan Anderson has worked as the Archivist of Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1998, when she re-inaugurated the program after a temporary closure. She manages all aspects of the Museum Archives, which recently moved with the rest of the Library department to improved surroundings in the newly renovated and expanded Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. Susan and Project Archivist Megan Finn are currently implementing a formal records management program for the PMA, with generous support from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.

Susan has been involved with the archives profession for 16 years and previously worked with the Historic Collections at Pennsylvania Hospital (1990-1998). She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Delaware Valley Archivists Group, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collection Libraries, and co-chair of the Museum Archives Section of SAA.

Susan contributed a chapter on ethics, restrictions, and privacy to the 2004 publication, Museum Archives: An Introduction. She has also curated exhibitions at the PMA, including Marcel Duchamp: Sources for Research (2009) and Revisiting the Centennial: Resources from the Library and Archives (2010). Susan regularly partners with the PMA Museum Studies Internship Program and mentors several up-and-coming museum professionals and archivists each summer.

Susan received a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Illinois in 1986 and a MFA in Fibers from Southern Illinois University in 1990. She also received an MS-LIS from Drexel University in 2000 and did coursework in Public History at Temple University. Susan is a registered artist with the Media Arts Council and a member of Heron Crest Studios in Aston, PA.