After an extensive search, the Milwaukee Art Museum has named Kantara Souffrant, PhD, as the Curator of Community Dialogue for the institution. Dr. Souffrant begins Jan. 4, 2021.
Per the press release, this newly created position ensures that community engagement is at the center of adult programming at Milwaukee Art Museum, through meaningful partnerships with peer institutions and artists, art activations and audience engagement.
“For me, the role of Curator of Community Dialogue is personal: a chance to use art to build bridges across our city while amplifying the voices and experiences of Black, Latinx and other communities of color,” says Kantara Souffrant, in a press release. “It isn’t merely about getting more people to come to the museum; it is about how art and the Milwaukee Art Museum can help shape our city’s future. We’re co-creating a Milwaukee committed to equity, inclusion, diversity and a healthier city for future generations to inherit. I’m eager to work alongside others doing this work both within and beyond the Milwaukee Art Museum.”
In addition to serving on the museum’s senior leadership team, Dr. Souffrant will build the institution’s capacity for making Art Relevant to Our Community and deliver Robust Community Programming, two key pillars of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Strategic Direction. She will also address social issues through art and be responsible for offsite projects.
Dr. Souffrant is a museum educator, artist-scholar and independent cultural curator who has worked across academia and the nonprofit sector in the pursuit of arts-based social justice and public education. She is currently the Assistant Professor of Global/Non-Western Art History at Illinois State University, where she teaches courses at the intersection of art history, African diasporic culture and museum studies. She previously worked at the Milwaukee Art Museum, from 2015 to 2018, as the Manager of School and Teacher Programs.
For more information about Milwaukee Art Museum, visit www.mam.org.