Honolulu Museum of Art

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Feb. 25, 2025

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Honolulu Museum of Art Director and CEO Accepts New Role at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Halona Norton-Westbrook assumes her role as director of the Modern July 1; HoMA board to conduct national search

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I— Halona Norton-Westbrook, the director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA), has been named the new director of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas. A passionate advocate for museums and their vital role in society, Norton-Westbrook has led HoMA since January 2020 and will continue her duties at the Museum through May 16. With the assistance of a professional search firm, the board of trustees will undertake a national search for its new director with input from a broad range of leaders and community members.

“Halona Norton-Westbrook’s steadfast leadership has guided the Honolulu Museum of Art through a period of positive transformational change,” said Mike Watanabe, HoMA’s board chair. “Under her guidance, HoMA has recruited top talent to key positions, reconceptualized the Museum’s teaching curriculum and built deeper connections through partnerships, programs and exhibitions that reflect diverse perspectives. We look forward to building on these many achievements to serve the greater Honolulu community, who are the inspiration behind all of our efforts.”

Throughout her five-year tenure at HoMA, Norton-Westbrook has focused on celebrating and strengthening the community. Under her leadership, Museum attendance has increased 70% from pre-pandemic numbers, despite the trend of declining museum visitation worldwide. Museum engagement has grown significantly through Art School classes and in-museum activities, tours and experiences that have highlighted the Museum’s renowned permanent collection as well as the dynamic exhibition program.

Recent initiatives include a pilot program that promotes brain health in an art-making setting, launched in partnership with O‘ahu-based Brain Health Applied Research Institute (B+HARI); Art for Life, a program designed to engage adults ages 55 and older in artistic creation; and gallery installations that reimagine HoMA’s collection in new ways with an increasingly Hawai‘i-centered approach.

Norton-Westbrook led HoMA through a successful American Alliance of Museums reaccreditation process and assembled a unified team of staff, board members and key stakeholders to create the Museum’s first comprehensive strategic plan. She also spearheaded the successful $4 million restoration and expansion project of HoMA’s historic Art School and oversaw development of a Master Campus Site Plan.

In 2022, Norton-Westbrook was one of 11 individuals appointed by then President Joe Biden to serve on the National Museum of Library Services Board to advise the Institute of Museum and Library Services on general policies with respect to its duties, powers and authority relating to museum, library and information services, as well as the annual selection of National Medals recipients.

Major exhibitions presented under Norton-Westbrook’s leadership include “David Hockney: Perspective Should be Reversed, Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation;” “Rebecca Louise Law: Awakening;” “Reveries: The Art of Hung Liu;” "Noah Harders: Moemoeā;" "Lauren Hana Chai: The Five Senses;" “Forward Together: African American Prints from the Jean and Robert Steele Collection;” “Fashioning Aloha;” and “Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art.” HoMA has also been a participating venue of the Hawai‘i Triennial, the state’s largest thematic exhibition of contemporary art, since its debut and recently opened its presentation of “Hawai‘i Triennial 2025: Aloha Nō.”

The Museum’s collection has grown significantly under Norton-Westbrook’s direction, with notable acquisitions of works by Nick Cave, Gaye Chan, Enrique Chagoya, Viola Frey, Hung Liu, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Jaume Plensa, Jennifer Steinkamp and Matt Wedel. Additionally, the Museum more than doubled its collection of American works by artists of African descent with a transformational gift of 55 important works on paper from the collection of Robert and Jean Steele in 2023.

“Leading the Honolulu Museum of Art for the past five years has been a dream and an honor,” said Norton-Westbrook. “As a nearly 100-year-old institution, there are countless individuals who have played a role in the Honolulu Museum of Art’s legacy. I’m thankful to have been part of a brilliant team of museum professionals and volunteers who continue to evaluate and evolve how a 21st-century museum can best serve its community. I’m proud of all that we have accomplished together to provide inclusive and meaningful experiences for our visitors.”

Established in 1892, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is the oldest museum in Texas and one of the first in the western United States. Founded by a group of forward-thinking women, Norton-Westbrook will continue the institution’s legacy as the first director of the Modern since Marla Price began her tenure in 1992.

“Halona Norton-Westbrook brings an extraordinary combination of vision, leadership and a deep commitment to the transformative power of art. Her incredibly 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 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Halon Norton-Westbrook Halona Norton-Westbrook

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About the Honolulu Museum of Art

HoMA is a gathering place where art, education and community converge in two iconic buildings in the heart of Honolulu. Presenting its remarkable collection and innovative exhibitions in the galleries, screening the best in new cinema in the city’s last remaining art house and offering a full curriculum of studio classes, HoMA is a vital part of Hawai‘i’s cultural landscape that is accessible to all.

The museum inspires and uplifts the community through transformative art experiences that celebrate creativity, cultivate wonder, foster empathy and enhance knowledge in order to deepen our connections with one another and the world we share.

For more information, visit www.honolulumuseum.org.

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