Donna Merkt
South Dakota Art Museum Director
Biography
As director of the South Dakota Art Museum at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ, Donna Merkt leads the museum’s mission to inspire creativity, connect people and enrich lives through art.
Since her appointment in June 2021, she has led a period of significant growth in engagement, expanding access to the museum’s collections and programs across campus and throughout the state. Educational participation has increased substantially, university student engagement has grown markedly and new initiatives — including virtual field trips and statewide outreach — have broadened the museum’s reach to diverse audiences, including rural and tribal communities. She has also advanced the museum’s role as an academic and cultural resource through strategic partnerships and sustained a commitment to inclusive, community-centered practice.
Prior to joining the South Dakota Art Museum, Merkt served as director of museum experience at Oklahoma City’s Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, where she led a broad portfolio spanning exhibitions, collections, archives, education and public programs. Merkt’s museum career foundation is in education and public engagement, with a focus on expanding access to meaningful arts experiences for diverse audiences. Her earlier work in Oklahoma included developing programs across higher education, K-12 and community settings, resulting in significant growth in student participation and engagement. She was also among the first cohort of internationally certified Visual Thinking Strategies facilitators and has played a key role in advancing its application in museum and community contexts throughout her career.
Merkt is an active contributor to the museum field, with service spanning regional and national organizations. She currently serves as South Dakota representative for the national Association of Academic Museums and Galleries and on the Finance Committee of the Mountain Plains Museums Association; she previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Mountain Plains Museums Association and as the Mountain Plains Representative for EdCom within the American Alliance of Museums.
Since her appointment in June 2021, she has led a period of significant growth in engagement, expanding access to the museum’s collections and programs across campus and throughout the state. Educational participation has increased substantially, university student engagement has grown markedly and new initiatives — including virtual field trips and statewide outreach — have broadened the museum’s reach to diverse audiences, including rural and tribal communities. She has also advanced the museum’s role as an academic and cultural resource through strategic partnerships and sustained a commitment to inclusive, community-centered practice.
Prior to joining the South Dakota Art Museum, Merkt served as director of museum experience at Oklahoma City’s Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, where she led a broad portfolio spanning exhibitions, collections, archives, education and public programs. Merkt’s museum career foundation is in education and public engagement, with a focus on expanding access to meaningful arts experiences for diverse audiences. Her earlier work in Oklahoma included developing programs across higher education, K-12 and community settings, resulting in significant growth in student participation and engagement. She was also among the first cohort of internationally certified Visual Thinking Strategies facilitators and has played a key role in advancing its application in museum and community contexts throughout her career.
Merkt is an active contributor to the museum field, with service spanning regional and national organizations. She currently serves as South Dakota representative for the national Association of Academic Museums and Galleries and on the Finance Committee of the Mountain Plains Museums Association; she previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Mountain Plains Museums Association and as the Mountain Plains Representative for EdCom within the American Alliance of Museums.
Education
- BFA | Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma
- M.A. in art history | University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
Academic and Professional Experience
Committees and Professional Memberships
- Active in state, regional and national museums associations.
- Serves as the Mountain Plains Regional Representative for the American Alliance of Museums Education Committee.
- Member of the Mountain-Plains Museums Association board.
- Serving as chair of the Education Committee.
- Member of the Finance and Governance committees.
Associated Areas
