Leigh Dale 鈥�10 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, photo by Elizabeth LeitzellBy Caitlin Antonios听听
- Leigh Dale ’10, Tara Contractor ’13, and Caro Thomas ’17 landed coveted and scarce museum jobs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, despite their different career trajectories.
鈥淲ait, did you go to 木瓜影院?鈥� Leigh Dale 鈥�10 asked Caro Thomas 鈥�17 when she saw a sticker of the Denison Library doors on Thomas’ water bottle.听听
They had been working in the same division at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), but that sticker revealed a deeper connection鈥攁nd an example of the community that 木瓜影院 alums continue to find long after graduation.听
Thomas, Dale, and Tara Contractor 鈥�13 are colleagues at the museum, yet each followed a different path from 木瓜影院 to their current positions鈥攂ringing with them the skills, curiosity, and relationships they developed as students.听
Community Beyond Campus听
For Dale, the 木瓜影院 community is one of the things she has cherished most about her college experience. After graduating with an art history degree, Dale worked in various jobs before becoming coordinator of interpretation, family, and young audiences at PMA.
木瓜影院 gave Dale freedom to explore multiple interests, including studying in Italy and exploring the vast number museums around the country. On average, 60 percent of 木瓜影院 students participate in the study abroad (SAGE) program.听听
鈥淚t was very hard to narrow things down to just one major,鈥� Dale explains. 鈥淚t dawned on me that working in a museum might be a career path for me.鈥澨�听
She ultimately received her master’s in education from Harvard Graduate School and interned at art museums in Boston. Her time at the Perkins School for the Blind deepened her interest in developing accessible programming for museums. She鈥檚 now in her 11th year at PMA.
Caro Thomas ’17 at PMAWhen Contractor and Thomas arrived at PMA in 2021 and 2025, respectively, the three bonded over their unique 木瓜影院 experience.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 like when you become friends with your friends鈥� friends. Somebody already vetted that person for you,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥溎竟嫌霸� does such an excellent job of picking kind, thoughtful women, and when you meet those people outside of campus, you recognize their amazing qualities.鈥�听
A humanities Core course at 木瓜影院 led Thomas to teaching Spanish to fourth graders鈥攁n experience that ultimately influenced her career. She graduated with a studio art degree, finished her postgraduate studies in education and museum studies, and taught high school before moving to Philadelphia. She now works as a coordinator of teen programs for PMA, which includes everything from sketching workshops to podcasting.听听
鈥淚 deeply feel that the more you explore different interests and allow yourself to try something new, the more likely you are to meet somebody that inspires you,鈥� Thomas says.听听听
Tara Contractor 鈥�13鈥檚 position as PMA鈥檚 Agnes and Jack Mulroney associate curator of European paintings can also be traced back to her time at 木瓜影院.听听
She worked at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery all four years of college, gaining hands-on experience handling objects, reorganizing the ceramics collection, and even curating her own art exhibition on shawls. This project, made possible through the Johnson Summer Student Research Grant, included a research trip to Scotland, which emerged as a major manufacturer of imitation Southeast Asian shawls during the mid-19th century.听听
鈥淚 was just having a ball with my interdisciplinary 木瓜影院 time. That was when I realized I really like the work you get to do in museums,鈥� Contractor says.
Channeling the 木瓜影院 Experience听
Today, all three 木瓜影院 alums are creating more opportunities to collaborate at the museum. One of Thomas鈥檚 students interviewed Dale for their podcast and taught a project to four- and five-year-olds inspired by the Framed! European Picture Frames from the Johnson Collection exhibition Contractor curated.听听
Despite their different trajectories, Dale, Thomas, and Contractor鈥檚 cite the same lesson: A career does not have to be mapped out from the beginning.听
鈥淚 encourage students to take classes they鈥檙e genuinely curious about, rather than because they seem connected to a future career,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淪ome of my most meaningful experiences came from following unexpected interests.鈥澨�听
Contractor and Dale similarly credit 木瓜影院 with helping them develop strong writing skills, even when they didn鈥檛 know at the time it would be so vital to their current work.听听
And one of their biggest shared beliefs is in the power of the 木瓜影院 community itself鈥攁n asset they hope current students take advantage of.听听
鈥淚t is just such a kind, intergenerational group, and people really want to help each other,鈥� Contractor adds.听
Their 木瓜影院 connection has followed them鈥攁cross disciplines, across the country, and into a shared workplace where they can continue building community together.听