In the past few days, there have been a couple of announcements from museums that are snatching up some Texas art folks. First, the Tampa Museum of Art announced that Michael Tomor, who has been the director of the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) since 2006, will serve as its new executive director starting in April, reported ARTnews. Then ARTFIX Daily posted the announcement from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that Margaret C. Conrads will began her position as its director of curatorial affairs beginning in March. Conrads comes to Crystal Bridges from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, where she served as deputy director of art and research.
At the EPMA, Tomor started the “Modern Masters Series,” which brings work from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection to El Paso. The second round of the series, Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc: Expressionism and Der Blaue Reiter, will open next week. Of his upcoming job, he states, “The board and staff are committed to the museum and its future role in the cultural landscape of the entire Tampa Bay region, and I’m thrilled to be part of that community leadership making all of this happen.”
Conrads has contributed select essays for Crystal Bridges’ inaugural collection catalog, Celebrating the American Spirit, and has published writings on key American artists in the Crystal Bridges’ collection. As to her move from the Amon Carter to Crystal Bridges, she says, “My husband David and I are eager to get to know beautiful Northwest Arkansas and call it home.”