Dr. Albert C. Barnes established the Barnes Foundation in 1922 in Merion, PA, to teach people from all walks of life how to look at art. He believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. Our diverse educational programs are based on his teachings and one-of-a-kind collections.

The Barnes holds one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist and early modernist paintings, with extensive works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, and Rousseau. The collection also includes American decorative arts, antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia, and important examples of African sculpture and Native American pottery, jewelry, and textiles. Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, nearly 2.3 million people from 50 states and 130 countries have visited, and over 100,000 schoolchildren have been engaged through education programs. Our core work includes presenting 2–3 exhibitions per year; collection conservation and scholarly research; lectures and adult education classes; pre-K–12 school programs; and public and community engagement programs.

When the Barnes closed temporarily at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, a pivot to online offerings was required to sustain the educational programming central to our mission. This shift was successful in meeting educational outcomes across the board—class size was no longer limited by building capacity or geographical distance. Enrollment and related tuition for adult education, for example, grew by 300%. Community engagement and public programs were also moved online or to socially-distant formats. 

Over the past year, we have enjoyed the successful expansion of our online education offerings and the launch of hybrid classes and lectures, welcoming guests and speakers back onsite while also broadcasting these programs to virtual attendees. This enthusiastic response to our online programs proved that a vast and diverse audience can be engaged through thoughtfully designed and executed virtual versions of in-gallery learning activities. As the Barnes focuses on providing valuable in-person programming onsite and within our Philadelphia neighborhoods, we also remain invested in offering this interactive virtual engagement.

We will continue to advance major initiatives onsite, online and within communities to evolve our institution and expand upon our current services.

While our educational reach is global, we are deeply invested in being a trusted resource in the Philadelphia community and ensuring that our resources are equitably distributed, honoring Dr. Barnes’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity. School programs and community engagement initiatives foster relationships in neighborhoods across the city in order for our art-based enrichment and education resources to be accessible to constituencies less likely to engage with traditional cultural institutions. Our engagement priorities include:

• New immigrants and Spanish-speaking families with preschool-age children; 
• West Philadelphia residents of all ages, with a focus on intergenerational families and children;
• Lower-income constituencies and marginalized communities across the city, including justice-impacted individuals and senior citizens;
• Diverse audiences of all socioeconomic levels less engaged with traditional cultural organizations;
• Pre-K–12 students and teachers in Philadelphia and Camden schools with less access to arts education;
• Local, national, and international adults who are eligible for need-based scholarships to participate in our education programs in person and online.

COVID POLICY

Successful applicants for employment with the Barnes Foundation must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of hire as a condition of employment, subject to requests for accommodation.

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Barnes Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we are committed to diversity and equal opportunity in our recruitment and hiring. Qualified candidates of all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply for this position. Employees have rights under other laws including, but not limited to, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act. We participate in E-Verify.