Milwaukee Art Museum Welcomes Thomas Busciglio-Ritter as Abert Family Associate Curator of American Art
MILWAUKEE, WI—March 5, 2025—The Milwaukee Art Museum appoints Dr. Thomas Busciglio-Ritter as the institution’s Abert Family Associate Curator of American Art following an extensive and competitive search. In this role, Dr. Busciglio-Ritter will oversee key areas of the Museum’s renowned American art collection, which features iconic works by artists of the Ashcan School and The Eight, Prairie School, and other pivotal movements spanning the 17th to mid-20th centuries.
“Thomas’s expertise and commitment to broadening the stories told through American art make him a perfect fit for the Milwaukee Art Museum,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director. “We are thrilled to have him on the team and look forward to the contributions he will bring to our exhibitions and programs.”
Dr. Busciglio-Ritter brings a multinational perspective to American art and a wealth of expertise and museum experience to Milwaukee. Most recently, he served as Assistant Curator of American Western Art at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, where he helped reimagine the American galleries during the institution’s reinstallation and co-curated the traveling exhibition All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840–1955. Throughout his career, he has integrated diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary narratives into the study and presentation of American art. Prior to his tenure at the Joslyn Art Museum, he held a position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he contributed to the acclaimed exhibition Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo.
“His research demonstrates his commitment to an inclusive and cross-cultural presentation of American art,” said Elizabeth Siegel, Chief of Curatorial Affairs. “We are delighted to welcome him to the Museum where his expertise in transnational artistic exchanges will support our mission to reveal compelling stories through art in our collection and exhibitions.”
In his new role, Dr. Busciglio-Ritter will lead the interpretation and expansion of the Museum’s American art collection. His responsibilities include organizing collection rotations and major exhibitions with scholarly publications, guiding acquisitions to enrich the collection, and reinterpreting artworks to reflect broader cultural narratives. He will also collaborate with key partners, including the Chipstone Foundation and the Layton Art Collection, to develop dynamic programming that showcases the Museum’s commitment to innovation and inclusivity.
“I’m honored to join the Milwaukee Art Museum and its exceptional curatorial team,” said Dr. Thomas Busciglio-Ritter. “I look forward to exploring new narratives within the collection and connecting diverse audiences with the history of American art.”
Dr. Busciglio-Ritter earned his PhD in art history from the University of Delaware, where he received a graduate certificate in museum studies and was an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Curatorial Fellow. He holds master’s degrees from École du Louvre and Sciences Po Paris and is a trilingual scholar fluent in French, English, and German. He continues to publish in leading journals such as Panorama: Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art. He started his position at the Milwaukee Art Museum on January 29, 2025.
About the Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is an essential destination for art and architecture and a vital cultural resource that connects visitors to dynamic art experiences and one another. Housed in iconic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, Eero Saarinen, and David Kahler on a 24-acre lakefront campus, the Museum is Wisconsin’s largest art institution and home to both broad and deep collections, with exceptional holdings in American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; conceptual and minimalist art; prints and drawings; European art from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century; photography and new media; modern and contemporary design; folk and self-taught art; and twentieth-century Haitian art. A bold symbol of Milwaukee’s ambition and forward-thinking vision, the Museum is a place for community building, education, and celebration that fosters creativity, free speech, and critical discourse for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit mam.org.
Media Contact
For more information, please contact:
Cortney Heimerl / Lindsey Wurz
Milwaukee Art Museum
communications@mam.org
414-940-0490 / 414-224-3865
Image: Photo courtesy of Dr. Thomas Busciglio-Ritter
