Kelly M. Ward

is a Brazilian-American art historian specializing in modernism and early twentieth-century painting and sculpture, with an interest in the transatlantic exchange between Europe and the Americas. Kelly has a dedicated career in museums, galleries, academia, and arts non-profits. She currently serves as the marketing and communications coordinator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and teaches as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. In addition, Kelly is an independent curator and marketing consultant at J. Peeler Howell Fine Art and a freelance exhibition interviewer for Art This Week Productions. As a skilled writer and researcher, Kelly has proven experience in visual analysis, lecturing and public speaking, marketing, graphic design, and social media management.

 

A passionate community advocate, Kelly is an active member of the Junior League of Fort Worth and serves as an advisory committee member to Easyside. She is also a graduate of the Spring 2025 Leadership Fort Worth LeadingEdge Cohort, where she honed leadership development skills and learned more about the importance of community trusteeship. Most recently in Spring 2026, Kelly completed the Junior League's rigorous All aBoard program which entailed monthly meetings with community leaders and two BoardBuild certifications in order to best prepare to serve on non-profit boards.

 

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, to a Brazilian mother and American father, Kelly grew up in northwest Louisiana and now lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas. She received her BA in Public Relations from Louisiana State University and her MA in art history, criticism, and conservation from the same institution. Having an immigrant mother and being a first-generation college graduate, Kelly has had ample opportunity to reflect on belonging and the ways that institutions can act as gatekeepers to the detriment of the organizations and the public. In her work, whether promoting exhibitions at the Modern or teaching undergraduates—many of whom lack previous experience studying art or visiting museums—she strives to make art accessible to all.