Taylor Swift: Storyteller

May 20–September 4, 2023

Museum of Arts and Design

"Bejeweled" video still: courtesy of TAS Rights Management.

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) will present Taylor Swift: Storyteller, a career-spanning look at the artistic reinventions of the 12-time GRAMMY Award–winning artist who is one of the most prolific songwriters in history. Opening May 20 to coincide with Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Tri-State area performances, the exhibition will be on view exclusively at MAD through September 4, 2023.

Taylor Swift: Storyteller highlights include the cheerleader and ballerina ensembles from the award-winning music video for “Shake It Off” (2014); the red wedding dress and bellhop uniform from “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” which featured Miles Teller and was directed by Blake Lively (2021); and the sparkling ensemble from “Bejeweled” (2022), directed by Taylor Swift. Concert attire by couture fashion houses will be featured along with props, jewelry, ephemera, and projections of music videos rounding out the exhibition.

Swift’s emotional songwriting is the catalyst for the captivating worlds she brings to life on stage and screen through exquisitely crafted costumes, inventive scene design, and imaginative iconography.

“At MAD, fashion and the decorative have long been valued as a critical visual language and no one speaks that language quite like Taylor Swift,” said Alexandra Schwartz, the Museum’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design. “Whether dressed down in a flannel shirt and untamed hair or literally dazzling her audiences in head-to-toe Swarovski crystals, Taylor gives greater meaning to the palettes, textures, and depths of feeling expressed in her songwriting.”

Swift has discussed the pressures that female musicians feel to constantly alter their public images, and regularly addresses gender norms in her videos, performances, and public appearances. In her videos she plays a wide range of characters, transforming herself through costume and subverting female archetypes through storytelling.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public programs and fun events inspired by the creativity and passion of Swift’s ardent fan base—from video and film screenings to karaoke sing-alongs. Additionally, The Store at MAD will stock a curated selection of Taylor Swift merchandise, from apparel to accessories.

Available for purchase at madmuseum.org, tickets for the exhibition cost $25 per person and include access to all Museum exhibitions on view. Members of MAD will enjoy free admission to the special exhibition, invitations to the Members-only preview on May 18, dedicated viewing hours, and more. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

Funding for Taylor Swift: Storyteller is made possible by three broads with a common thread in honor of Marian Burke.