Amon Carter Museum executive director says he’s stepping down after 14 years
Andrew J. Walker, the executive director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, announced Monday that he is stepping down after 14 years at the end of this week.
“I have been honored to lead the Carter for the past fourteen years and watch it evolve into the impactful institution it is today. I am exceptionally proud of all that we have accomplished, whether through our commitment to new scholarship on American art, our exceptional exhibition program, or our continued expansion of the Carter’s collection to include new voices and seminal works that tell the story of American creativity,” he said in a statement on Aug. 25. “Given all that we have accomplished together, it feels like the right moment for me to depart and allow a new leader to take the helm as the Carter plans for its future.”
Walker’s last day at the Museum will be Aug. 31. Scott Wilcox, the museum’s chief operating officer, will serve as interim executive director. A search for Walker’s successor will be announced in the coming weeks.
No part of the museum went untouched during his tenure from the collection to the cold storage. Those efforts were amplified by curatorial and other museum staff who expanded what American art means and what an American art museum can include.
Telling the whole story of American art meant acquisitions and exhibitions featuring artwork by immigrants, Indigenous people and even from Latin and South America.
That effort included acquisitions of artwork by Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa, Indigious photographer Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie as well as 19th century painters Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent. The museum’s research collection increased too, with the establishment of study center for little-known artists.
But a museum is about as much as about the art as it is the building, especially in Fort Worth. Under his tutelage the interior underwent a dramatic and necessary transformation. When it reopened in 2019, claustrophobic and carpeted gallery spaces were replaced by spacious and handsome galleries clad with white oak wood flooring, LED lighting and modular walls.
These changes allowed for curators and viewers to rethink the collection by organizing galleries by theme and not the more traditional era or medium. It also carved out 7,000 square feet for special exhibitions and an expansion of the photography vaults with the latest technology.
He was also credited with expanding the museum’s community outreach, including creation of the Carter Community Artists initiative connecting local artists with the community and more interactive exhibition features.
“Andrew Walker became director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art before my mother Ruth Carter Stevenson passed away,” said Karen Hixon, president of the board of trustees. “Andrew came to understand her passion and vision and continued to ably lead the Museum through the transition years and beyond. We are grateful for all he has done to set the Carter on such a strong path for its future.”
Walker served as assistant director for curatorial affairs and curator of American art at the Saint Louis Art Museum and also held curatorial positions at the Missouri History Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.