The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas has named Halona Norton-Westbrook as its next director, beginning July 1.
She succeeds Marla Price, who announced last year that she would retire after more than 30 years in the role. At the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Norton-Westbrook will be tasked with taking the museum, founded in 1892, into the future after Price’s storied tenure, which included a major Tadao Ando–designed expansion and a rise in national and international prominence.
“The Modern is a museum of extraordinary ambition and impact, and I am honored to lead it into the future,” Norton-Westbrook said in a statement. “Museums have the power to foster joy, reflection, and meaningful conversations. I look forward to working alongside the museum’s talented team and dedicated community to expand its reach, deepen its engagement, and continue its tradition of presenting art of the highest quality.”
Norton-Westbrook has been the director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii since 2020. During her tenure, she has doubled its attendance back to pre-pandemic levels, secured the museum’s reaccreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, developed a strategic plan, and secured several multimillion-dollar gifts toward its endowment.
She also helped acquire 55 works on paper by 26 African American artists from the Jean and Robert Steele Collection for the museum’s collection. An exhibition focused on the gift followed in 2023.
Prior to joining the Honolulu Museum, Norton-Westbrook served as director of curatorial affairs at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, where she worked for six years, beginning first as an Andrew W. Mellon Leadership Fellow. At the TMA, Norton-Westbrook focused on growing the museum’s collection, adding pieces by Alice Neel, David Hockney, Nam June Paik, Jules Olitski, Wendy Red Star, and Titus Kaphar, as well as several pieces from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. She cowrote the 2018 book Toledo Museum of Art: Collection Companion, about the institution’s holdings.
In a statement, Rafael G. Garza, board president of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, said, “Halona Norton-Westbrook brings an extraordinary combination of vision, leadership, and a deep commitment to art. Her impactful track record of strategic thinking, community engagement, and curatorial excellence makes her the ideal dynamic leader to guide the Modern into its next chapter. We are confident that under her direction, the museum will build upon its remarkable legacy within the Fort Worth community and continue to evolve as a dynamic cultural hub of international significance.”
