Publishing CareerBuilder: Museum Publishing Careers

This Publishing CareerBuilder explores the wide range of careers in publishing at museums and cultural institutions. Many museums and cultural institutions, large and small, have robust publishing departments, producing award-winning books, journals, exhibition catalogues, magazines, podcasts, and other content, providing the potential for a rewarding career in museum publishing.

In this month’s Publishing CareerBuilder, produced in collaboration with the National Museum Publishing Seminar, we will hear from experienced museum and cultural institution publishers, including Martina Kado from the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore, Allie Haeusslein of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, Sumru Belger Krody, at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Museums, as stewards of cultural, historic, and scientific resources of their communities, create specialized publications reflecting their collections and their scholarly and educational missions, in print and digital format, frequently translated into many languages. Museum publishing roles include editing, design and production, marketing and publicity, chief content officers, interpretation and education, rights and permissions, and more.

Panelists:

● Allie Haeusslein, Director, Pier 24 Photography

● Martina Kado, Vice President of Research and France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Maryland Center for History and Culture

● Sumru Belger Krody, Senior Curator of The Textile Museum Collection, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

Co-Moderated by Nicole Mintz, Career Services Director, College of Professional Studies, and John W. Warren, Director and Associate Professor, Graduate Program in Publishing, George Washington University.

The National Museum Publishing Seminar, a biennial conference by and for the museum publishing community, will be held June 29-July 1, 2025, at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, MD.

Panelist bios

Allie Haeusslein is the Director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, the largest space dedicated to photography in North America. She oversees the organization’s publishing program, from short-run artist books to exhibition catalogues. She conceived and edited the publication Photographers Looking at Photographs: 75 Pictures from the Pilara Foundation Collection (2019). Her writing has appeared in the British Journal of Photography, ART21 Magazine, and Foam Magazine, among others. In addition to her curatorial work at Pier 24 Photography, Haeusslein has also curated exhibitions for outside venues including Filter Photo in Chicago and the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, CA, among others.

Martina Kado is Vice President of Research and France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library at the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore. She oversees MCHC’s library with over 7 million items, including the earliest extant manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Benjamin Banneker’s astronomical journal. She also heads MCHC Press, which publishes historical monographs and museum publications, and serves as editor of the Maryland Historical Magazine, in publication since 1906. She holds a PhD in English and is a published author, researcher, and translator.

Sumru Belger Krody, Senior Curator of The Textile Museum Collection at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, specializes in textiles from the late antique period and the Islamic lands. Her research focuses on the artistic, social, and economic power of textiles, as well as the influence of textile-making on that power. As Senior Curator, she leads The Textile Museum's curatorial department and serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Textile Museum Journal. Additionally, she guest lectures at George Washington University on textile arts. Beyond her curatorial work, she has authored numerous articles, co-authored, authored and published several exhibition-related publications.