Kelli Morgan
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Kelli Morgan is a curator, author, educator, and antiracism activist. She earned her doctorate in Afro-American Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Public History – Museum Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass).
Specializing in critical-race curatorial analyses, her interdisciplinary research focuses on Black women’s visual narratives. Yet most recently, her work has demonstrated how traditional art history and museum practices work specifically to uphold white supremacy and maintain white cultural hegemony. She’s held curatorial positions at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields where she recontextualized American collections to illuminate institutionalized oppression and structural inequities to encourage responsible approaches to museum DEI initiatives.
Currently, Dr. Morgan is an independent curator and art consultant.
Five Things I Can’t Do Without
- A Bathtub – It is imperative that I submerge myself in water at least once a week, lol.
- Art – Color, Materiality, Texture, Line, Concept – all these things together help keep me sane.
- My Friends and Family – I have such a phenomenal community. I couldn’t do half of the work I do without my support system.
- Peanut M&M’s – These are my absolute favorite candy.
- Ice Cream – My absolute favorite sweet.