Not quite sure who you need to talk to? Email info@mmaa.org, and we’ll direct you to the right person.
Associate Curator of Learning and Engagement
nariza@mmaa.org
Read More
Nancy Ariza is a printmaker, educator, and arts and cultural engagement organizer. Since 2012, Nancy has been developing and leading educational arts programming throughout the state of Minnesota. She is the Associate Curator of Learning and Engagement at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, overseeing the museum’s education and public programs centering community partnerships. Outside of her role at the M, Nancy is an adjunct professor at Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a teaching artist. She has taught at arts organizations such as Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota Center for Books Arts, Walker Art Center, East Side Arts Council, and other community-based learning spaces. She holds a BA in Art History and a BFA in Printmaking from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and an MA in Education specializing in culturally responsive teaching from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Designer
cbjerke@mmaa.org
Read More
Curtis Bjerke moved to the Twin Cities area from northern Minnesota in 2004 and attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he graduated in 2009 with a BFA in painting. Before coming to the M in late 2013, Curtis worked as an installer at various art galleries, as well as handling private art collections and building custom picture frames in his woodshop. He’s an adventurous, outdoorsy person, and when he’s not here at the M, Curtis can be found camping and canoeing in the wilderness.
Registrar
ndelfino@mmaa.org
Read More
Nicole Delfino Jansen came to the M in the spring of 2022 with 30 years of experience in the museum field, primarily as a registrar for exhibits and loans with the Minnesota Historical Society. She also worked early-on in conservation at the Science Museum of Minnesota and interned in the paper lab at the Cooper Hewitt National Museum of Design in NYC. One of the most cherished aspects of her work has been connecting with people and their stories through the art and artifacts they create or collect and share. With her degree in studio art and art history from St. Olaf, she feels fortunate to be returning now to the arts to serve the talented staff and artists collaborating at The M to boldly expand our understanding of what a museum can be in community.
Nicole lives in South St. Paul with her husband, Chip, and has three children. She enjoys gardening, working on home remodeling projects, and travel. She also loves her family time, and is a strong advocate and volunteer for her hometown.
Assistant Curator
khoang@mmaa.org
Read More
Kylie Linh Hoang (she/her) is a curator and public historian who believes a deep understanding of our past can lead us forward to a more vibrant future. She also believes that museums are some of the most visceral places where history can be learned, and that they have the unique opportunity to promote social equity and restorative justice through exhibitions and programming. Kylie centers accessibility, accountability, and anti-colonial strategies in her museum work to create opportunities to engage that are meaningful and culturally relevant.
Kylie is an assistant curator at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, researching the complexity of American identity and experience through objects in the permanent collection. She has previously held positions at the Minnesota Historical Society, the Oakland Museum of California, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Kylie holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Knox College and a Master’s of Heritage Studies and Public History from the University of Minnesota.
Curator of Exhibitions
ljoseph@mmaa.org
Read More
Laura Wertheim Joseph (she/her/hers) is a curator, educator, and writer currently exploring how her creative practices relate to her maternal practice. Becoming a mother in 2020 has deepened her longstanding interests in the wisdom, history, and multiplicities of time held within and imprinted on bodies, emotions, and material culture. She has a deep investment in working collaboratively to reflect her belief in the importance of recognizing and valuing interconnection and interdependence in creative work, by extension of the interconnection and interdependence between people and the natural world we share.
This way of seeing the world has often drawn Laura to the margins and the shadows to celebrate undervalued sources of wisdom, underrecognized creative practices, and less common perspectives on cultural production. She has advanced this ongoing work— gaining insights from many different kinds of collaborators along the way—through more than a decade of researching, writing, teaching, and producing cultural programming and exhibitions. Before joining the M’s team, she completed curatorial, research, and book projects that include Harriet Bart: Abracadabra and Other Forms of Protection (Weisman Art Museum/University of Minnesota Press), Testify: Americana from Slavery to the Present (Hennepin County Library), Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta (University of California Press), and A Feast of Astonishments: Charlotte Moorman and the Avant-Garde(Mary and Leigh Block Museum/Northwestern University Press). Laura brings these commitments and histories to her work leading a collaborative, relationship-centered exhibition program at the M.
Laura holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Minnesota and an MA in Arts and Cultural Management from Saint Mary’s University. She specialized in contemporary art and critical theory with a focus on embodiment, affect, and materiality, as well as intersectional feminisms, and gender and performance studies. Before coming to the M, Laura also worked alongside artists with disabilities at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts to challenge perceptions of disability.
Associate Director
ktucker@mmaa.org
Read More
Kate Tucker joined the M in January 2022. As the Associate Director, she leads fundraising and operations at the museum. Kate works with donors and funders to discover new opportunities and cultivate support for the M.
Kate has been fundraising for 15+ years, always passionate about the arts. She’s worked as the Director of Advancement at Artspace Projects/The Cowles Center. Before that, she served as the Development Director at Lake Country School. Kate also worked in individual giving at the Walker Art Center.
Kate has a master’s degree in Art History from the University of St. Thomas. She focused her studies on the intersection between patrons and artists to build more vibrant communities. Kate also holds a bachelor’s degree in English.
Kate enjoys scouting the latest restaurants and breweries and attending performances and art events. Kate lives in Edina with her husband, two children, and a dog.
OFFICERS
Dr. Kate Beane
Executive Director, The M
Ann Ruhr Pifer–Chair
Executive Director, AdoptAClassroom.org
Gerry Stenson–Vice Chair
Retired EVP at Wells Fargo, former board chair of HealthPartners and Habitat for Humanity
Patty Dunlap Whitaker–Secretary
Retired Manager of Corporate Communications, Securian Financial
Tim Beastrom–Treasurer
General Counsel, James Hardie Building Products
Jo Bailey
Art Collector
MEMBERS
Brenda Child, Ph.D.
Professor of American Studies, University of Minnesota, Red Lake Band of Chippewa
Dr. Bruce Corrie
Associate Vice-President, University Relations and International Programs and Professor Economics, Concordia University, St. Paul
Taylor Gonda
University of Minnesota, Master of Arts and Cultural Leadership Program (board practicum 2022-23 academic year)
Nathan Johnson
Architect, 4RM+ULA
Walt Lehmann
Managing partner, Lehmann PLC
Dave Neal
Principal, Tealwood Asset Management
Michael Sammler-Jones
Senior Director, Internal Communications, Community Relations & Enterprise Events, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Brandon Seifert
Director, Special Projects, IXR Group
Darlene St. Clair
Associate Professor, American Indian Studies; Director, Institute for Indigenous Education Studies, Saint Cloud State University
Dameun Strange
Director, Community and Belonging, American Composer’s Forum
Honorary Members
Mayor Melvin Carter
Mayor, City of St. Paul
Minnesota Museum of American Art
350 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55101
Located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott
651.797.2571
Minnesota Museum of American Art thrives because of people like you! Your contribution will support our dynamic and engaged partnerships and programs related to our St. Paul neighborhood, our Minnesota community, and our shared experiences.
