Photo Courtesy Marquette University
John McKinnon
It’s a short walk between centuries at the Haggerty Museum of Art. Religious images and artifacts from medieval Western Europe are the topic of one of its current exhibitions, “Material Muses.” Across the gallery, “Affirmation/Transformation” explores creative acts that can emerge from fandom (The Beatles? Star Trek?). And there is more on the museum walls, including “The Big 4-0,” a something-for-almost-everyone survey of diverse work from the permanent collection to celebrate the Haggerty’s 40th anniversary.
“It’s nice to be back,” says the Haggerty’s new director, John McKinnon. Born in Kenosha, he began his career as a curatorial assistant at the Milwaukee Art Museum and worked in recent years at several institutions in the Chicago area before eagerly accepting his post at the Haggerty. “It was only a matter of time before we moved here,” he says, explaining that his wife also has Wisconsin roots.
The Haggerty Museum of Art is a gem tucked away on the Marquette University campus, an institution with an impressive trove of art in its vaults and an admirably creative tradition of programming. McKinnon largely inherited the museum’s 2024-25 season and has begun working with staff, Marquette faculty and other stakeholders on the future. “It’s a dialogue—a reflection that was already happening for the anniversary year before I arrived,” McKinnon adds.
“Interdisciplinary work is in our DNA,” he continues, citing the Haggerty’s founding director, Curtis Carter, from Marquette’s philosophy department. “There have been lots of ways the museum has worked across campus to produce really interesting shows.” He points to an installation several years ago by Argentine sculptor Tomás Saraceno in conjunction with a Marquette engineering professor’s displays measuring particles of pollutants in the air. “We’ve always looked for programs that are diverse, accessible and relevant to our time.”
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The Haggerty has enjoyed strong relations with other local institutions including Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Sculpture Milwaukee. “We pull in experts in different fields and have topical conversations,” McKinnon says of the museum’s ongoing mission to campus and community.
The Haggerty Museum of Art is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
