Caro Thomas

Caro Thomas joined the Philadelphia Museum of Art as Coordinator of Teen Programs, Special Projects in December 2025.

An educator, film photographer, and mixed media artist, Caro brings an interdisciplinary approach to her work as an educator, artist, researcher, and activist. Her practice centers art as a tool for critical inquiry, identity formation, and civic engagement. In their current role, Caro coordinates programs for A Nation of Artists, the relaunch of PMA’s American Art galleries, managing administrative operations while building and maintaining relationships across Philadelphia’s arts and educational communities.

She develops programming that engages local teens through art-making and diverse forms of arts engagement, including the museum’s newest initiative: a teen podcast. Caro’s previous experience includes working as a teaching artist at various Philadelphia arts institutions like the PMA and Magic Gardens, an academic gallery director, and a high school educator.

They hold a Master’s degree in Social and Education Policy with a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Kansas, where her research examined strategic school-museum partnerships as pathways to expansive, equitable arts access. Caro’s teaching emphasizes visual literacy, empathy, and collaboration, grounded in the belief that cultural institutions function best as “third spaces” for meaningful public engagement.

Caro Thomas spoke at the Creative Museums Summit 2026 :

Scaling Engagement: Balancing Deep Curatorial Connection with Wide Community Reach

The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s teen community engagement initiative connected with local teens by distributing 2,000 postcards and collecting over 600 drawings for display. These student submissions were inspired by two instructional videos where local teaching artists led drawing lessons inspired by curatorial themes found within the American art galleries. As museums strive for community relevance, this initiative achieved both deep curatorial engagement and wide community reach. Along with supporting teachers with a classroom activity, displaying student artwork transformed the museum into a community hub, successfully welcoming new families and first-time visitors to celebrate youth perspectives.