MILWAUKEE, WI.- 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.
