William Keyse Rudolph is Milwaukee Art Museum's new Curator of American Art and Decorative Arts.

"We are thrilled to add William to our cadre of extraordinary curators," said Daniel Keegan, director of the museum, Monday in a statement.

"His knowledge, experience and skills will benefit not only the museum, its members and visitors, but our community as a whole."

Rudolph arrives in Milwaukee from the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts where he has held the same title since 2009. Before that he was an associate curator at the Dallas Museum of Art and an associate research coordinator in European Decorative Arts after 1700 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

"The museum exudes tangible, exciting energy, ambition and quality in its programming, exhibitions, campus, and plans for showcasing its collections," said Rudolph, who has and M.A. in Art History from the University of Virginia and earned his Ph.D. in Art History from Bryn Mawr College.

"For a curator, it's an exciting time to join an institution that already has an enviable reputation but is definitely on the way up. The museum has become the icon of the city and I'm just hoping to be able to help keep Milwaukee proud of its museum."