Research Interests/Experience

Lynne Swanson has conducted research on a variety of textile and craft traditions, as well as traditional celebrations and occupations. She coordinates annual public programs at the Great Lakes Folk Festival and curates or serves as project manager for exhibitions at Michigan State University Museum. Swanson's primary responsibilities include the supervision of collections care and management of the cultural collections; management of the collections database and documentation; oversight of loans; supervision of processing, storage and maintenance of divisional research collection, slide and photographic collection, audio tape collection, and library, research and reference materials; and adherence to MSU Museum collections policies and procedures as they pertain to the cultural collections. She verifies documentation and performs research on the large and varied cultural history holdings of MSU Museum. She has worked extensively on the upgrade of collections care and preservation through various grant funded-projects.

Selected Publications

• Great Lakes, Great Quilts, contributing author, C & T Publishing, 2001.
• "Celebrating Midsummer in Brevort," Festival of Michigan Folklife Program Book, Michigan State University Museum, 1996.
• Quilts from the Albert and Merry Silber Collection, exhibition catalog, co-editor, Michigan State University, 1988.
• Michigan Quilts: 150 Years of a Textiles Tradition, contributing author, Michigan State University, 1987.

Selected Exhibitions

• “Grassroots Green Program,” Great Lakes Folk Festival, East Lansing, August 13 – 15, 2010
• “Quilts and Human Rights,” MSU Museum, January 15 – August 24, 2008
• “Collections Connections,” MSU Museum, 2005 – ongoing
• “A Fascination with Lace,” MSU Museum, April – November 2000
• “Textile Treasures of the Middle East,” MSU Museum, April – November 1999

Degree

M.A., American Studies/Museum Studies, Michigan State University, 1985