Impact

In Fall 2025, more than 6,500 visitors experienced 4 exhibitions, 12 public programs, and a full slate of educational collaborations highlighting human journeys, adversity, and resilience. Experts from Marquette faculty and staff along with numerous community partners shared their knowledge and talents to develop conversations about personal mental health and collective wellness. 

Exhibitions

Exhibitions included No One Knows All It Takes, a promotion of empathy and connection, recognizing that true well-being requires universal care. Life Lines invited viewers to engage deeply with art and religion, encouraging self-reflection and discovery. Capturing the Senses: Beauty and Horror in Early Modern Art used works by Early Modern artists to explore how aesthetic pleasure set against terrifying subjects evokes powerful psychological responses. Installation No. 46 (Rhythmus 24) was a new video installation by Jan Tichy that explores ways of measuring time. 

Fall exhibition visitors commented

• “Excellent”, “Marvelous exhibitions” and “Loved it!”

• "The Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University is truly a hidden gem in Milwaukee! I was amazed to learn that admission is completely free, making world-class art accessible to everyone…The museum itself is beautifully curated, peaceful, and welcoming — a perfect spot to slow down, reflect, and appreciate creativity in all its forms. The staff were kind and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere had this quiet magic that makes you want to stay longer. If you’re in Milwaukee or near the Marquette campus, do yourself a favor and stop by the Haggerty Museum of Art. It’s free, inspiring, and one of the city’s best-kept treasures."
• "No One Knows All It Takes is a stunning revelation of the artists' own healing."

• "Beautiful pieces, accessible to public with free admission, very polite staff. A pleasure to visit, i will be back again soon."

• "Small space for well-curated exhibits. Free. You should go!"

We are grateful for these ringing endorsements!

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Education

Visual art is a powerful starting point for exploration. Our exhibitions and collections invite viewers to slow down, look closely, ask questions, and investigate new ideas. More than 4,200 learners attended educational programs this fall. Classes that are co-created with experts in literature, science, nursing, theology, engineering, and more use art as a lens to understand broader human experiences, cultures, and ideas.

In collaboration with Marquette University’s Theology department, more than 850 students from Theology 1001 visited the Life Lines exhibition and wrote reflections papers. One student wrote, “peace doesn’t always come from escaping the noise, it can come from learning how to be still inside of it.”

Seniors from Milwaukee High School of the Arts visited for an experience to make art and dialogue through the lens of wellness. They reflected and responded:

• “Art allows me to confront what secretly brings me pain.”
• “Art is an expression of how I am feeling.”
• “Art lets you express how you feel in a non-judgmental way.”
• “I can’t stop drawing with these pens. I’ve never tried a material like this, and I love them.”
• “I make art with my friends. It’s fun and it makes us happy. Art makes me happy.”

In addition to structured classes, the Haggerty is delighted to host Marquette’s Art Club to provide students with the opportunity to exercise their creativity. Students gather on Friday afternoons to engage in art-making and camaraderie.

Because of a generous donation, the Haggerty Museum partnered with Marquette's History department to offer an art history course for the first time in 10 years. It immersed 30 students of different majors in a semester's long exploration of global art history.

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Public Program Highlights

Programs drew robust and diverse audiences who were eager to participate fully and gain insight.

The Creating Circumstances for Healing program provided an opportunity to converse about immigration, wellbeing, and making art in this increasingly precarious moment. Artist Raoul Deal, Assistant Professor Dr. Sergio M. González, and guest curator Grace Ebert led the discussion.

• A first-time program attendee commented, “I was impressed by the overall quality of content. There was also a very positive welcoming atmosphere…”

• Another participant said “The exhibit and the speakers were fantastic. Their talk left me with much to think about and ways to be creative in expressing my own stressors in life.”

The Disappearance Jail Wisconsin discussion and workshop focused on art and the impact of incarceration. Artist Maria Gaspar, Dr. Robert S. Smith, and the CURTO team presented a free public program addressing the 114 carceral facilities across Wisconsin pictured in Gaspar’s exhibition "Disappearance Jail".

• A participant commented that the event was “A cathartic experience and a reminder that not only is a better world possible— there are people actively working toward it.”

The Community Art & Wellness Retreat created a space fostering rare vulnerability. Participants found respite in activities like a weaving workshop and spiritual retreat. During Long Table discussions, people openly shared feelings about personal pain and burnout without shame.

• A retreat community collaborator described the Museum as "alive, inclusive, and welcoming."
• A first-time visitor remarked, "I didn’t know museums could feel like this."
• A participant wrote, “Thank you for holding a brave space for the public to contribute to an inclusive community discussion of well-being! It was meaningful to hear all of the multiple perspectives about all that it takes to care for ourselves and each other …”

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Membership

Memberships in the Friends of the Haggerty vitally sponsor 20% of the Museum’s annual budget. These gifts are crucial in supporting our efforts to enrich our community with thought-provoking, timely, and engaging programming.

• “Barb and I support the Haggerty Museum of Art because the Haggerty, an academic art museum, plays a vital role for Marquette University students, staff, the Milwaukee community, and beyond. With the collection and exhibitions, the museum provides learning experiences for thousands of students. It also provides a place for spiritual contemplation and wellness, and a safe space for questioning and discussions”.
  - Fred Syrjanen, Friends Board Member and sponsor

Join the Friends of the Haggerty Museum to receive member benefits and support our artistic efforts. Members enjoy behind-the-scenes tours and other members-only programs while providing vital support for the Haggerty’s relevant, diverse, and accessible arts programming for more than 10,000 visitors annually from on and off campus A participant from a recent members-only tour commented, “Excellent event! I really enjoyed the studio visit - very interesting … All around a lovely evening!”

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Acknowledgements

On behalf of our staff and visitors, we are grateful for the generosity of the artists, faculty, donors, Forward Funders, lenders, community partners, and countless others that made the Fall 2025 semester a great success. These champions are vital in supporting our efforts to enrich our community with thought provoking, timely, and engaging programming. 

We recognize our invaluable exhibition and program sponsors who enabled these Fall exhibits, arts education experiences, and programming to promote empathy, conversation, and resilience in our community.

• Support for No One Knows All It Takes was generously provided by the Lacey Sadoff Foundation, Fred and Barb Syrjanen, and the Marquette University Women’s Council Endowment Fund. With in-kind support from Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel and media partner Colossal.
• Support for Life Lines was generously provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. and Dr. Mary Anne Siderits.
• Support for Capture the Senses: Attraction and Horror in Early Modern Art was generously provided by the Eleanor H. Boheim Endowment Fund and in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Support for Installation No. 46 (Rhythmus 24), was generously provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. and Dr. Mary Anne Siderits.