Norton-Westbrook joins the Modern from the Honolulu Museum of Art, where as Director and CEO, she achieved strategic milestones including expanding the museum’s audience, strengthening the collection, and garnering endowment support.
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (the Modern) announced today that Halona Norton-Westbrook, Ph.D., has been appointed the museum’s next Director. Norton-Westbrook has served as the Director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art since 2020. Norton-Westbrook will begin her new role on July 1, 2025, succeeding Marla Price, Ph.D., after a 30-year tenure that transformed the Modern into an internationally recognized institution.
“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. I’m grateful to our search committee, led by chair Kim Darden, for their diligence in finding the right candidate,” stated Rafael G. Garza, President of the Board of Trustees. “We would also like to thank Koya Partners for collaborating with our committee on this search and bringing together an outstanding pool of candidates.”
“The Modern is a museum of extraordinary ambition and impact, and I am honored to lead it into the future. 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. Fort Worth has a vibrant cultural landscape, and I am eager to become part of it, building meaningful relationships and shaping the Modern’s next chapter with energy, creativity, and care,” stated Norton-Westbrook.
Norton-Westbrook is a visionary museum leader with a proven track record of institutional transformation and audience expansion. Since becoming Director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art in 2020, she has doubled annual attendance from pre-2020 levels, secured several million-dollar-plus gifts to the museum’s endowment, and significantly expanded broad support for the museum’s fundraising effort. Managing a staff of 150 employees, she led the museum through a successful AAM reaccreditation, developed its first comprehensive Strategic Plan, and guided a $4 million restoration and expansion project of its historic Art School.
Under her leadership, the museum strengthened its collection with major acquisitions, including a transformational gift of 55 works by leading contemporary African American artists from the collection of Robert and Jean Steele, and led innovative initiatives like the Scholars-in-Residence program connecting art with neuroscience. Previously, as Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Toledo Museum of Art, where she led the department and oversaw acquisitions, including works by Alice Neel, Marie Watt, Diana Al-Hadid, David Hockney, Jules Olitski, Judit Reigl, Nam June Paik, Gajin Fujita, Agus Suwage, Elias Sime, Jaume Plensa, Wendy Red Star, Alison Saar, Titus Kaphar, and a dozen major works from Souls Grown Deep.
In Toledo, she also served as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art where she became known for her innovative and engaging approach to curatorial projects and artist installations which brought in record numbers of visitors. She was also a co-leader in a $2.25 million gallery renovation project and served as an Andrew W. Mellon Leadership Fellow. A federally appointed trustee for the National Museum and Library Services Board, she holds a Ph.D. in Museology from the University of Manchester, an M.A. in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and a B.A. from Mills College. She has also completed the Getty Leadership Institute’s Executive Education for Museum Leaders intensive program.
Norton-Westbrook has overseen the creation of numerous exhibitions, including Forward Together: African American Prints from the Steele Collection (2023) and David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed (2023) at the Honolulu Museum of Art, showcasing her commitment to contemporary and historically significant art. Her publications reflect deep curatorial scholarship, with major works such as Toledo Museum of Art: Collection Companion (2018), alongside critical essays on artists like Matt Wedel and Hung Liu. She has also contributed to the global art dialogue through lectures at esteemed institutions and events, including the ESTE ARTE Fair in Uruguay, the EXPO CHICAGO Directors Summit, and the Hawai‘i Contemporary Art Summit, reinforcing her leadership in museum practice and contemporary art discourse.
Norton-Westbrook will begin her tenure at the Modern during the run of two major exhibitions: Alex Da Corte: The Whale (March 2 – September 7, 2025), the first museum exhibition to survey the interdisciplinary artist’s long relationship with painting, organized by the Modern and Curator Alison Hearst and Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling (March 15 – July 27, 2025), a celebration of the work of two tour de force artists, exhibited together for the first time organized by the Modern and Curator María Elena Ortiz. The Modern is renowned for its extensive collection of post-World War II art and its architecturally significant building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, one of the anchors of Fort Worth’s Cultural District, along with the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
