Milwaukee Art Museum director Daniel Keegan will retire in May after eight years of leading the cultural institution, according to an announcement made last week.
The museum’s board of trustees plans to create a search committee to pinpoint Keegan’s successor.
In a statement, Keegan said the “timing is right” for a new leader to transition into the museum.
“Together we have accomplished so much, resolved longstanding facility issues and, most importantly, kept the doors open to millions of visitors who continue to enjoy this great museum and its world-class programs and experiences,” he said. “There is always more to do and new goals to achieve.”
Keegan is credited with helping bring a variety of world-class exhibitions to the museum for display during his leadership tenure. He also helped bolster arts education and museum programming for families, particularly through Kohl’s Art Generation backed by Kohl’s Cares.
Among his top accomplishments, he worked to negotiate a public-private partnership with Milwaukee County through which the county is investing $10 million to repair museum buildings, which are owned by the county. That investment joins the museum’s $24 million capital campaign. Through the investments, the museum will open its reconfigured Collection Galleries in November.
“Dan’s accomplishments during his tenure have touched every aspect of the Milwaukee Art Museum,” said board of trustees president Donald Layden. “His vision and tenacity, resulting in the historic 2013 agreement with Milwaukee County and the War Memorial Corporation to ensure the long-term future of the Museum, was extraordinary. As we prepare to search for his successor, we will strive to build upon his legacy of community enrichment. And as we celebrate the reopening of the Museum’s galleries in November, we realize that the critical repairs and vital upgrades to the galleries might never have been achieved without Dan’s vision.”
