DENVER ART MUSEUM
Jill D’Alessandro appointed Director and Curator, Avenir Institute of Textile Art and Fashion
D’Alessandro most recently served as curator-in-charge of costume and textile arts for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF). During her 21-year career at FAMSF, she worked with the institution’s extensive fiber collections, as well as its fashion holdings. She recently spearheaded several notable exhibitions, including Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy (2022) celebrating the designs of Guo Pei, hailed as China’s first couturier, and Contemporary Muslim Fashions (2018), for which she served as co-curator and which expanded the Western canon and explored global fashion narratives. "Jill’s vision for the Institute, her deep knowledge of both textile art and fashion and her focus on creating dialogue and connections with communities greatly impressed the panel," said Angelica Daneo, Chief Curator at the DAM. "Her experience in the field and nuanced understanding of past traditions and current trends will be fundamental as we continue to develop ambitious exhibitions and innovative programs for our audiences." D’Alessandro holds a Master’s of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, and a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Scripps College where her senior thesis focused on Diné/Navajo blankets. D’Alessandro has also published actively throughout her career, including catalogues, a book and several articles. The Denver Art Museum has developed a strong program around its Textile Art and Fashion collections in recent years, including securing a $25 million endowment for the Institute of Textile Art and Fashion in 2019.