SALEM, MA.- The Peabody Essex Museum has announced the launch of a TikTok Creator-in-Residence program – the first of its kind for any U.S. art museum. Now accepting applications for the summer of 2023, the program seeks to collaborate with current or recent graduates of New England area art schools to increase engagement with PEM’s TikTok channel by producing creative videos that explore the museum's art and collections, events, and stories.

"As an institution that readily embraces innovation and creativity in all of its forms, we are thrilled to launch our TikTok Creator-in-Residence program," said Dr. Kurt Steinberg, PEM’s Chief Operating Officer and former President of Montserrat College of Art. "This program offers a singular opportunity for art school students to combine their love of art and culture with a valuable experience in content creation and brand building. We look forward to working with a talented content creator to find surprising and entertaining new ways to highlight the programs, collections, and people that make the Peabody Essex Museum a world-renowned organization."

The TikTok Creator-in-Residence program will enable the chosen creator to hone their skills, gain workplace experience, and build their portfolio. The application process requires a portfolio of TikTok videos showcasing creativity, storytelling, and production skills.

"We are excited to see the energy that PEM’s TikTok Creator-in-Residence will bring to the museum, and we look forward to collaborating with them to bring the museum's art and collections to new audiences," said Derek O'Brien, PEM’s Chief Marketing Officer. "Through this new initiative, we hope to inspire and engage with art enthusiasts across the region and around the globe."

Over the last 20 years, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has distinguished itself as one of the fastest-growing art museums in North America. Founded in 1799, it is also the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. At its heart is a mission to enrich and transform people's lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes and knowledge of themselves and the wider world. PEM celebrates outstanding artistic and cultural creativity through exhibitions, programming and special events that emphasize cross-cultural connections, integrate past and present and underscore the vital importance of creative expression.

The museum's collection is among the finest of its kind, including superlative works from around the globe and across time — American art and architecture, Asian and Asian export art, maritime, Native American, Oceanic, and African art, fashion and textiles and photography, as well as one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM's campus offers a varied and unique visitor experience with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. Twenty-two noted historic structures grace PEM’s campus, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese home that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture in the United States.