Meet Andrew Walker of Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Walker.

Andrew, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started the journey to being the Executive Director during a freshman seminar at Bowdoin College. My art history professor gave a moving lecture on Michelangelo’s fresco, The Last Judgment. Not only was I moved emotionally by my professor’s words, but a fire burned that perhaps I could make a living inspired by the great bursts of creativity across time. After graduating with a degree in art history, I made the crucial commitment to move to New York City and work in the museum world. Paying my dues along the way, I began to experience the business side of art museums and made a conscious decision to become a curator. After receiving my PhD, I worked as a curator of American art at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). I always say, it was like being tenured at Yale—the quality of the collection at the AIC and the commitment to scholarship are nearly incomparable. Life happens, however. My wife at the time was teaching in St. Louis, and we had a child on the way. I decamped to the south and moved into a management position overseeing all of the curators at the Saint Louis Art Museum. My curatorial career turned left, and my journey led me to seek an executive position. With nearly a decade’s worth of new experiences helping to grow a faculty of curators, I got the call to the Big League when the Amon Carter Museum of American Art tapped me to be its fifth director. I felt blessed by the opportunity to lead a museum devoted to American art and the expanse of creativity that our nation has experienced. I do not curate anymore, but the joys that accompany facilitating the great exhibitions, acquisitions, and programs that the team at the Amon Carter creates is far more rewarding.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a cultural leader, both externally and internally, does offer challenges. The value of the Amon Carter is its excellent staff and the quality of the collection. The biggest challenge was guiding the museum through a major change after the death of the institution’s founder, Ruth Carter Stevenson (1923–2013). For more than five decades, Mrs. Stevenson provided clear direction that resulted in the Amon Carter’s reputation as one of the most important American art museums in the country. She valued excellence, which made the institution a destination for the city, the region, and the nation. Her passing, however, necessitated an internal cultural change that affected both the board and the staff. Some staff reorganization and a renewed commitment to community impact required tough decisions from the board leadership and museum staff. The leadership team is nearly all new and is taking up the challenge to build on the legacy that Mrs. Stevenson established. Much is different—today you might see a yoga class on our front lawn or encounter an installation by a living Texas artist in our atrium—but we all remain committed to the value of excellence on which she insisted. It took nearly three years to establish a new way of doing business that does not rely on the steady guidance of a founder. The future is bright for this museum embedded in a city that is growing at lightning speed.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Amon Carter Museum of American Art – what should we know?
As the executive director, I provide the artistic leadership for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. In many respects, this institution’s critical value is the quality and the expanse of its art collection, which includes paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs. The museum houses the largest art collection in all of North Texas, and one of the nation’s most important collections of American photographs is also housed here. The museum is a research center with a library and archives in which original scholarship on our nation’s story can flourish. Growing the collection and activating it with our many audiences (adults, children, teachers, scholars to name a few) is an awesome task. The bar is set very high. When the curators propose a new acquisition for the collection, there is a distinct awareness of the context of excellence in which that painting or sculpture will sit. Because of those strengths, we also serve as a sanctuary of sorts where art collectors come to learn and be inspired. I am amazed every day by the measurable impact that this collection has to inspire the creativity of those who visit. But what I am most proud of is the commitment and joy that our staff demonstrates every day to make each guest’s experience memorable.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is a cultural leader in the Metroplex and especially in Fort Worth. The art museum industry is changing to one of experiential engagement. As development in the city’s Cultural District expands, the Amon Carter, along with the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, become a hub for engaging a global view of creativity across time. The challenge is to be in collaboration, to not act as singular institutions but as a networked group that provides visitors with experiences that inspire dreams and share knowledge.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard
  Fort Worth, TX 76107
• Website: www.cartermuseum.org
• Phone: 817-738-1933
• Email: visitors@cartermuseum.org
• Instagram: @theamoncarter
• Facebook: @theamoncarter
• Twitter: @theamoncarter

Image Credit:
Amon Carter Museum of American Art

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