CURATORIAL AND COLLECTIONS AT MONTPELIER
Acqusitions
Preservation
Conservation
Research
The Curatorial department researches and acquires objects that help provide context for those who lived at Montpelier, including the Madisons, the duPonts, and enslaved individuals. The Collections department is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the 5,000 objects on exhibit and in storage at Montpelier.
Curatorial & Collections Projects
Many of the projects our department undertakes are not done within the view of visitors. Our work is seen in the interpretation of the rooms, exhibit cases, and in the care of the objects. Read about our projects to get a behind the scenes look at how exhibits come together and the special objects at Montpelier.
Digging Deeper Blog
Check out our blogs and read about our projects to learn about what we've done in the past and what our department is currently working on. Find out how we install objects, care for the Montpelier collection and what day-to-day collections work is like.
Preventative Measures In the House
November 3, 2023
“Good storage is preventive conservation.” Storing Objects When you think of museum storage, what do you think of? Do you think of the giant ...
Read More
Garden Statuary Care
August 2, 2023
Ever wonder how our garden statuary is cared for? Read here to find out more!
Read More
Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind
April 7, 2023
Dive into collections storage with this in-depth blog all about the ins and outs of storing Montpelier’s decorative arts collection.
Read More
What’s in a Number?
December 22, 2022
When looking at labels in your favorite museum, you might notice that the objects are referred to with specific sets of numbers. Sometimes a combination ...
Read More
The South Yard: Archaeology
February 4, 2021
What did the Archaeology Team find in the South Yard?
Read More
The South Yard Dwellings: The Taylor and Stewart Families
February 4, 2021
The Taylors and Stewarts were two married couples who were likely born at Montpelier and served the Madison family for decades.
Read More
South Yard Dwellings: Research
February 4, 2021
Learn more about the interviews conducted with the Works Progress Administration and the images found that helped to shape the South Yard Dwellings at Montpelier. ...
Read More
South Yard Dwellings: Food & Cooking
February 4, 2021
We know enslaved cooks prepared food for the Madisons. How did the enslaved community cook and what did they eat themselves?
Read More
South Yard Dwellings: Household Items
February 4, 2021
Work tools vs. leisure tools- what's the difference?
Read More
Read all of the Curatorial & Collections Blogs
Learn about taking care of the Montpelier collection.
The Team

Jenniffer Powers, BA
Collections Manager
Jenniffer Powers joined Montpelier in May 2014, after completing her degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington. As the Collections Manager, Jenniffer works behind the scenes and beyond the ropes to provide care and maintenance for the entirety of the Montpelier Collections – both on display and off display. This includes everything from proper storage to vacuuming textiles, to cleaning silver and sweeping floorcloth! Jenniffer is passionate about making collections and collections management accessible to the public and loves using the Collections Department Instagram account to highlight pieces of the collections both on and off display as well as the work that it takes to preserve the objects and spaces for decades to come!

Elizabeth Chew, PhD
former Senior Director of Museum Programs and Chief Curator
An art historian, she holds a B.A. from Yale, an M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked at museums and historic sites since 1985, including as a curator at Monticello for thirteen years, and as the Betsy Main Babcock Director of the Curatorial and Education Division at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. She has taught art history at the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, James Madison University, Wake Forest University, and Davidson College and published and lectured widely on ways that art and architectural patronage relate to gender, race, and family politics.