A growing partnership between Bala Cynwyd’s Saint Joseph’s University and the Barnes Foundation is opening a new path for students interested in museum careers, writes J.F. Pirro for Main Line Today.
The collaboration centers on a new fully online graduate program in museum education, designed to prepare future educators to teach through art and objects rather than traditional art history instruction. The program launched in fall 2024 and already has about a dozen students enrolled across certificate and master’s degree tracks.
The effort reflects a broader relationship that has been building between St. Joe’s and the Barnes in recent years. In 2018, the university became caretaker of the Barnes Arboretum, and later took over the foundation’s original Merion gallery space, reopening it in 2023 as the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum.
Leaders at both institutions say the partnership is about more than academics. It is also aimed at workforce development, experiential learning, and making museum spaces feel more accessible to wider audiences. Courses are taught by both Barnes staff and St. Joe’s faculty, giving students direct exposure to museum practice and philosophy.
For students like Colleen Joy Hall, the program represents a second chance to break into a field she has long admired.
To learn more about the partnership between St. Joe’s and The Barnes Foundation, visit Main Line Today.
