Grace Trumbo has long been captivated by beauty. Now, she helps others encounter it. As an Associate Registrar for Outgoing Loans at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she manages the intricate logistics that make it possible for masterpieces to travel the world. From overseeing legal paperwork and transport arrangements to accompanying works across North America and Europe, her role ensures that great art remains accessible to diverse audiences. “This vibrant lending program allows us to share our collection with others and explore shared values through visual culture,” she reflects.
For Grace, facilitating access to art is more than a means to earn a living. It represents a way to help others enjoy beauty and encounter Christ. “It is a delight to see people of all ages take pleasure in beautiful things,” Grace explains. Art often conveys ideas about human nature, suffering, hope, faith, and goodness. Grace finds that engages such pieces provides opportunities to have Gospel conversations with others.
For Grace, facilitating access to art is more than a means to earn a living. It represents a way to help others enjoy beauty and encounter Christ. “It is a delight to see people of all ages take pleasure in beautiful things,” Grace explains. Art often conveys ideas about human nature, suffering, hope, faith, and goodness. Grace finds that engages such pieces provides opportunities to have Gospel conversations with others.
Grace’s integration of her faith with her passion for art was shaped by her experience as a Shaftesbury Fellow with First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD) in the summer of 2021. By reading theologians like Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck who celebrate God’s sovereignty over every sphere of life and engaging with her mentor, Grace came to appreciate how Christian’s engagement with art can have a powerful impact on the flourishing of societies. “How Christians engage with artworks tells the world what should be celebrated,” Grace notes. Her time as a Shaftesbury Fellow deeply informs how she approaches her current vocation.
In her free time, Grace enjoys visiting museums and historic sites, playing piano, attending operas, and reading detective novels—pursuits that reflect her deep appreciation of beauty. Whether at work or at leisure, she seeks to awaken in others a love for what is true, good, and beautiful, ultimately pointing hearts toward Christ, the source of all beauty.
Grace is a good example of First liberty’s impact upon the courts and the culture. We are defending people of faith and equipping them to make a difference in the world.
