Ariel Pate appointed Chief Curator of Haggerty Museum of Art
Ariel Pate. Photo courtesy of the Haggerty Museum of Art.
After a national search, the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University has appointed Ariel Pate as the museum’s Chief Curator. Pate begins full-time in May 2026.
Bringing over two decades of experience in curatorial practice and institutional leadership, Pate will serve as the Haggerty Museum’s chief programmatic officer. Most recently the Assistant Curator of Photography at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), Pate has built a career defined by compelling exhibitions, community-centered collaborations, and strategic collection growth.
In her new role as Chief Curator, Pate will steward the Museum’s 10,000-object collection and develop world-class, diverse exhibitions that engage with the most pressing social and cultural issues of our time. Uniquely situated within Marquette University, the Haggerty Museum of Art works with academic units across campus to be a catalyst for educational experiences rooted in the traditions of Jesuit knowledge seeking. This appointment reinforces the Museum’s commitment to providing transformative educational experiences through innovative curatorial leadership and robust community engagement.
“We are excited to have Ariel Pate lead our curatorial team during a new chapter of organizational growth,” explains John McKinnon, Director of the Haggerty Museum of Art. “We sought a candidate who is not only an original content creator, but a people leader with a collaborative spirit. Ariel is a warm and strategic facilitator who spread enthusiasm within our hiring committee. We look forward to seeing what comes next through her curatorial vision.”
During her tenure at MAM, Pate orchestrated projects that bridged the gap between historical archives and contemporary social issues. Her 2024 exhibition, True Story: Photography, Journalism, and Media, was lauded for its topical relevance, and her presentation of the 2023 touring exhibition, Darrel Ellis: Regeneration, helped renew interest in this underrecognized artist and earned national recognition in Artforum. In Photographing Nature’s Cathedrals: Eadweard Muybridge, Carleton E. Watkins and H. H. Bennett, Pate complicated the story of 19th century landscape photography by ensuring the concurrent display of Native traditional arts within the museum.
A hallmark of Pate’s leadership is an inclusive approach to curatorial practice with a passion for incorporating community voices. She was instrumental to the founding of Native Initiatives at MAM, a team that works alongside external Native advisors to ensure the respectful and accurate representation of Indigenous people and cultures throughout the museum. At MAM, Pate championed the addition of works by Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk) and Shelley Niro (Six Nations Reserve, Bay of Quinte Mohawk) to the museum’s collection. Other significant acquisitions included multi-media works by Darrel Ellis, a film and photographs by Milwaukee-based artist Lois Bielefeld, and gifts from artists’ estates, including an important group of early work by Wayne Miller. Her ability to welcome diverse voices into the museum space is further evidenced by collaborations with local nonprofits like Ex Fabula and the Chipstone Foundation, envisioning galleries as dynamic sites for public dialogue centered around art.
“I’m delighted to be joining the Haggerty,” says Pate. “I believe art helps us recognize our shared humanity, and the Marquette University community offers opportunities to collaborate with experts, scholars, and students to show the relevance of art across disciplines. The Haggerty’s track record of compelling exhibitions and engagement speaks to me, and I’m excited to become a part of its story.”
Beyond the gallery walls, Pate serves as a member of the Milwaukee Arts Board, and as a 2025 Alumni Mentor for the Kansas City Art Institute. Her previous experience includes time in the Photography Department at the Art Institute of Chicago, arts advocacy work, and curating the corporate collection of Medtronic, Inc. Pate received her master’s degree in Curatorial Studies from the Hochschule für Bildende Künste–Städelschule and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, in Frankfurt, Germany. She is currently preparing a catalogue on Gordon Parks in conjunction with a forthcoming exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
HAGGERTY MUSEUM OF ART CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
This Side of the Stars: Rauschenberg’s Stoned Moon in the Company of Kite, Paglen, & Yi explores the intersection of art, technology, and environment. Defying Empire: Revolutionary Prints from Britain and America challenges traditional, nationalistic narratives of the American Revolution. Contemporary prints and zines in Declaration of ____ draw parallels between the circulation of print media during the American revolutionary period and today’s creative resistance. Let the Real World In imagines different scenarios for building a more just world through the lens of young adults from Milwaukee.
EVENT CALENDAR
Community Zine Festival: Declarations in Print
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Join us for a hands-on celebration of DIY publishing, revolutionary print culture, and community storytelling. Inspired by the exhibitions on view, this creative festival brings together a dynamic artists’ conversation, community talkback, drop-in zine-making studio, and a live printmaking demonstration. Explore how prints—from 18th-century political cartoons to contemporary zines and cosmic imagery—have shaped ideas of identity, democracy, resistance, and belonging. Come make your own declaration, craft a zine, and add your voice to a growing community gallery. Activities are adaptable for all ages and skill levels; all materials provided.
The Bloody Massacre: A Lunchtime Talk with Dr. Serena Zabin
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, noon to 1 p.m.
Join historian Dr. Serena Zabin for a conversation about Paul Revere‘s 1770 engraving The Bloody Massacre, currently on view in the Haggerty Museum of Art’s exhibition Defying Empire. Boxed lunch provided. Dr. Zabin is the Stephen R. Lewis Jr. Professor of History and the Liberal Arts at Carleton College. Her research focuses on families, gender, and politics in the era of the American Revolution. She is the author of Dangerous Economies: Status and Commerce in Imperial New York (Penn Press, 2009) and the prizewinning The Boston Massacre: A Family History (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020)
Civic Dialogues Dinner: Featuring Hahrie Han
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Marquette University’s Civic Dialogue Dinner Series offers an opportunity for the campus and public to enjoy a dinner while discussing the complex causes of public problems, what we should do to address them, and how we might promote the common good. The evening will begin with a conversation by Hahrie Han, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University and recent MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award recipient, along with Marquette Professor Julia Azari. This conversation will be followed by small group discussions.
Additional free public programs continue with lunchtime talks, artist conversations, engaging lectures, and more. All events, festivities, and educational programs are listed with details and registration information on the Museum’s Events page.
ABOUT THE HAGGERTY MUSEUM OF ART
The Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University is a place where art and ideas come alive—free of charge and open to all. Through innovative exhibitions, arts education experiences, and thought-provoking public programs, we invite both the university campus and the broader Milwaukee community to discover, question, and connect.
Working with regional and national artists, collaborating with distinguished faculty across all disciplines, partnering with community organizations, and advancing collections inquiry, the museum is a vital forum for dialogue—to spark reflection, inspire action, and encourage positive change for the greater good.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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