September 22, 1995 : New Director at Amon Carter Museum
The Board of Trustees of the Amon Carter Museum today
announced the appointment of Rick Stewart as Director,
effective immediately.  Stewart has served as both Acting
Director and Chief Curator since April 7, 1995, and has
been an integral member of the leadership team since he
joined the Museum in 1987.
Ruth Carter Stevenson, President of the Board of Trustees,
commented:  "After an extensive search nationwide, it was
the unanimous conclusion of the Borad that Dr. Stewart
not only exemplified the leadership skills and scholarly
abilities to carry the Amon Carter Museum forward, but to
fulfill the goals and policies of the Amon Carter Museum.
Also, he shares the vision of the founder, Amon G. Carter, Sr.
Rick Stewart and I have shared a warm friendship during his
years here, and I am greatly delighted to look ahead to
the years working with him, knowing that the Amon Carter
Museum will be in his capable hands."
Rick Stewart commented:  "The Amon Carter Museum is
entering a new phase in its 35-year history.  The next
few years will see some exciting changes and measured
growth as we enter a new century. Quality and scholarship
are the norms upon which the exhibitions, publications, and
programs of the Museum are based.  We will continue to
adhere to these standards as we plan for the future."
As Director, Stewart will oversee all aspects of Museum
activities, focusing on those outlined in the mission
statement:  "to collect, preserve, and exhibit the finest
examples of American art, and to serve an educational role
through exhibitions, publications, and programs devoted
to the study of American art."  He will manage a staff
of 74, including four curators with a range of expertise
that covers the Museum's vast collection of American
paintings, sculpture, photographs, and works on paper.
Although Stewart will continue to work on certain
curatorial projects in progress, a new Chief Curator will
be named to fill his vacancy in that department.
With a career that spans over 25 years as scholar, curator,
and author, Stewart is acknowledged as one of the nation's
leading experts on art of the American West.  He is also
regarded as an authority on early twentieth-century American
precisionism and a specialist in interdisciplinary humanities.
Stewart has published widely during his tenure at the Carter,
and has received national acclaim for his definitive series
on the work of Charles M. Russell.
Stewart received his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware
in 1981 and his M.A. summa cum laude, from the State
University of New York at Binghamton in 1972.  A native
of Walla Walla, Washington, he completed his undergraduate
work there at Whitman College.  He taught art history
and American studies at Williams College 1977-1983, then took         s
the post of Curator for American Art at the Dallas Museum
of Art.  Stewart remained at the DMA from 1983 until 1987, when
he accepted the position of Curator of Western Painting and
Sculpture at the Amon Carter Museum.  Dr. Stewart, 50, is
an active member of the community in Fort Worth, where he and
his wife, Karen, have raised two children.