Gathering of Waters: Curator Katie Pfohl on Focus 2026

Curator Katie Pfohl’s vision for the Focus section of EXPO CHICAGO 2026 is as powerful as the sprawling body of water that inspired it.

Sitting in the Kresge Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Katie Pfohl is surrounded by beauty — from the natural lighting that fills the space to the 15^th century European-inspired architectural elements dotting the brick walls. Indeed, it is one of her favorite places. Yet in these notably calming environs, as she contemplates her curatorial projects, she is often thinking of creativity and artwork in far more ambitious terms than aesthetic pleasantries. Her goal, she says, is not necessarily to disrupt — but to inspire meaningful conversations between artists, communities and the larger public, often on the most pressing contemporary issues of our time. “I want to show that art can do more than just be beautiful,” she says, sipping her coffee.

This incisive approach, honed as the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) Associate Curator of Contemporary Art and, previously, as the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art, makes her ideally suited for her latest project — curating the Focus section of the 2026 EXPO CHICAGO Contemporary Art Fair. Dedicated to emerging galleries and art practices, Focus features approximately 50 galleries 12 years or younger, each displaying the work of one or two artists. “I think it’s going to be very special,” says Pfohl, who completed her Ph.D. in art history at Harvard University in 2014 and has held positions at, among other institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Philadelphia Museum of Art. “The title is Gathering of Waters. It’s a term for the Mississippi River, but what it’s really referring to is that the tributaries of the Mississippi touch 31 states across the country. The Mississippi then drains out into the Gulf of Mexico; it’s taking the connectivity of water as a metaphor for a gathering of artists, galleries and fresh ideas.”

While the exposition elevates work from the middle of the country, with galleries from Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New Orleans, it also — like a flowing branch of tributaries — extends its reach far beyond, to ultimately include galleries as far afield as London, Kenya and Brazil. “It’s showing the middle of the country as a very interesting place, but in a very expansive global frame,” says Pfohl. “In a time of divisiveness, we’re gathering together to have these conversations.”

Indeed, for Pfohl elevating authentic, new voices is what it’s all about — made clear in her recent exhibit at the DIA, Tiff Massey: 7 Mile + Livernois, the largest exhibit dedicated to a Detroit artist in the museum’s history, as well as prominent exhibitions in New Orleans that explored both the outsized impact of COVID on the city as well as the legacy of Southern monuments. “A lot of my projects, including those, ask, ‘How do we create work that resonates locally, but in a broader international frame that provides greater perspective?’ I work with local artists, think about local community, engage with local issues, but do it in a way that expands the story.”

Not unexpectedly, the stories at Focus will be expansive, diverse and powerful, exploring landscape and migration across the Mississippi Basin and beyond, with work prominently emphasizing the African, Latin American, Asian and Caribbean diasporas. Galleries will feature emerging and canonical artists as well as, in several cases, estates, elevating the work of those who were not duly recognized in their lifetimes. “I think it’s important to incorporate perspectives from past, present and future,” says Pfohl. Participating galleries include Jonathan Carver Moore, of San Francisco, showing the work of Demond Melancon, Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters in New Orleans, who uses needle and thread to create works of glass beads on canvas and is equally renowned for his large Suits. New York’s 56 Henry is presenting a new installation by native Detroiter LaKela Brown, rich with imagery referencing 1990s hip-hop culture in Detroit and beyond. And Pittsburgh’s april april will display the work of Faye HeavyShield via an expansive textile inspired by rivers and waterways, draped throughout the space. With each gallery limited to two artists, “each presentation is like a mini exhibition,” says Pfohl. “And this year we have a fair amount of galleries treating the booths as installations, so, in many cases, the booths unfold as a series of immersive experiences.”

For visitors, it’s a chance to take part in the conversation in several important ways. “Focus is where you’ll find something new,” says Pfohl. “It’s where you’ll encounter artists and galleries that you haven’t seen before and have the chance to support them early in their careers. There’s a lot of agency in it for collectors, and an opportunity to make a big impact in the lives of emerging artists and galleries.”

On that note, Pfohl is particularly looking forward to this year’s Northern Trust Purchase Prize, awarded to four museums to purchase works of art from the Focus section for their permanent collections. “It’s very meaningful to both the artists and the galleries to have a museum acquisition come out of this experience,” she says. “It can be game-changing. It helps museums expand their collections and look to the future of contemporary art, and it’s also incredible for the artists and galleries.”

And that is a beautiful thing.

EXPO CHICAGO takes place April 9-12 at Navy Pier.