Timothy Anne Burnside is an accomplished museum professional with more than 20 years of experience at the Smithsonian Institution. Her work examines the intersections of history and culture through the lenses of music and performing arts via the acquisition, research, and interpretation of material culture.

As a curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, she builds collections that encompass a diverse range of unique objects and develops exhibitions, programs, publications, and digital media that offer innovative and nuanced representations of history and cultural expression. Her unique professional perspective informs her exploration of museums' evolving roles, responsibilities, and methodologies. 

Timothy began her museum career at the National Museum of American History in 2003 as an intern with the Archives Center, eventually becoming a Curatorial Assistant in the Division of Cultural History. She also served as Project Assistant and Co-Producer for Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) for two years. In 2006, she helped launch the Smithsonian’s first hip-hop initiative and began building a collection.

Timothy transitioned to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in 2009 and joined the curatorial team responsible for developing the museum’s collections and exhibitions. She co-leads two NMAAHC inaugural exhibitions, Musical Crossroads and Taking the Stage, and contributed to several others, including Cultural Expressions, Sports: Leveling the Playing Field, and Power of Place. Additional NMAAHC exhibitions include Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment, Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture, and Represent: Hip-Hop Photography. 

Timothy has produced and contributed to diverse award-winning projects, including the NMAAHC’s grand opening festival, Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration; the groundbreaking publication The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap; and the podcast All Music is Black Music. Recent projects for the NMAAHC include the Hip-Hop Block Party, the exhibition Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, which received the Smithsonian Award for Excellence in Exhibitions in 2024, and the publication Musical Crossroads: Stories Behind the Objects of African American Music, which received the Secretary’s Research Prize in 2025. 

Driven by the transformative power of material culture to illuminate and analyze history and culture, Timothy frequently presents at national and international conferences to broaden understanding of museum work within academic spaces. She is committed to raising awareness of new avenues for museum education and work, particularly in the context of contemporary cultural narratives, which are crucial for expanding museums’ role in shaping our collective history. In addition to contributing to academic publications, she guest lectures in classrooms and mentors students passionate about music, cultural history, and museum studies across various educational levels, from high school to graduate programs. 

Timothy serves on the Board of a DC-based organization, Words, Beats, & Life; is a Professor of Practice and member of the President’s Advisory Council at Lawrence University; and serves on the Editorial Board of Southern Cultures, a peer-reviewed quarterly of the history and cultures of the U.S. South.