As we wait to board our flight to Rome, the first of many stops on the AMA’s two-week curatorial vision quest, I feel nothing but grateful. I’m not just referring to the opportunity to travel with amazing people on an incredible trip, one that is introducing us to over 30 potential exhibition partners and art collections from across Europe. I’m altogether grateful for everything that has led us to this moment in our museum’s story.
When you have a Big Idea—like relocating an art museum into a space eight times its current size—it takes courage to choose such an audacious destination. But then again, this is the course the AMA has been plotting out for itself from its very beginning! Since our founding in the 1950s, and especially in the last ten years, the Arlington Museum of Art has been learning how to be Bigger by leaning into What We Do Best.
- We attract really interesting, important, and rarely-traveled art collections.
- We present relevant exhibits and programs that reflect our diverse community.
- We know how to make the most of exhibition space.
- We’re nimble.
- We value our long-standing partners and new collaborators.
- We care about artists.
- We believe in authenticity, accessibility, and creativity.
- We believe in having fun!
Now here we are, four months away from our grand opening in the Arlington Entertainment District. We’re the “reimagined AMA” to many, and that’s great. But for those of you who know us well, this is clearly the natural next leg in our journey. Your support means everything, as does our shared belief that when we spread our wings, we will fly.
All aboard!
Chris Hightower
President and CEO
Arlington Museum of Art
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Over the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing exclusive peeks inside collections, sites, and museums in Pompeii, Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan, Basel, and Paris. Let us know which of these artists or collections you’d most love to see as a special exhibit at the New AMA!
About the Arlington Museum of Art
A thriving visual arts museum in the heart of North Texas, the Arlington Museum of Art is constantly in motion, with ever-changing exhibits and experiences that unite art, technology, innovation, and education. In keeping with our growing reputation for ground-breaking exhibitions and programming, coupled with our hometown pride, in Spring 2024 the new AMA will open in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District. We will serve our community and visitors as a new kind of arts destination, presenting the world’s great masters alongside the very best of contemporary art and evolving genres of experiential art. Our unwavering commitment to fostering creativity, conversation, and connection brings together diverse art, artists, and audiences of all ages, transforming them through the power of art.
