SANTA FE, NM.- The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum welcomes Ariel Plotek, PhD, as its new Curator of Fine Art.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Plotek join our dynamic team of curators,” says Cody Hartley, Senior Director, Collections and Interpretation. “He brings outstanding museum experience, as well as an enthusiasm for education and connecting diverse audiences.” Plotek shares the excitement. “I am thrilled to join the Museum and make the move to New Mexico, a place that was so profoundly important to O’Keeffe.” He says, “I look forward to beginning a new and exciting chapter.”

Dr. Plotek’s studies and career have been international in scope. He has an MA and PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and completed his BA honors at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. He has held a variety of museum and teaching positions at institutions that include the University of San Diego, Clemson University, New York University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Most recently, Plotek was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the San Diego Museum of Art. In this role, he was responsible for numerous exhibitions and a collection ranging from nineteenth century through contemporary art.

“Ariel is an invested leader in fine art, with innovative approaches to his projects,” says Hartley. “We look forward to the insights he will bring to exploring Georgia O’Keeffe’s vast body of work.”

Ariel Plotek is the third curator added to the O’Keeffe Museum this year, joining Liz Neely, Curator of Digital Experiences, and Katrina Stacy, Curator of Education and Interpretation. These recent hires are part of the Museum’s initiative to integrate further O’Keeffe’s life story with programming, community engagement, and technology.