The Nevada Museum of Art (NMA) is pleased to announce the appointment of David B. Walker as Executive Director/CEO. Walker will assume the position on October 15, 2007. In his new role at the NMA, Walker will be responsible for overseeing the advancement of the NMA's collections, exhibitions and educational programs.
He will work with the Board of Trustees and staff to achieve the museum's mission and to generate significant financial support for the NMA's short and long-term strategic and development goals, as well as promote a culture of excellence and teamwork in all NMA activities.
"The talented museum staff, the commitment of the Board of Trustees, the world-class building, and the extraordinary membership base - clearly the museum plays a vital role in this dynamic community," said Walker. "We will build on these impressive strengths as we develop capacity for greater programmatic depth and international collaborations."
Walker joins the NMA with an extensive background in art leadership roles. Most recently, Walker served as Dean of Public Programs at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Since 1996, he successfully created the school of public programs including Art Center at Night, Saturday High, Art Center for Kids, Summer Institute for Teachers and Design-Based Learning Lab. In addition he coordinated the exhibitions Supersonic and The garden LAb Experiment; he also developed several customized programs for teachers, entrepreneurs and international students, while providing vision and leadership for the college's new 100,000 square foot south campus.
"Our search for an Executive Director was national in scope and the search committee reviewed several candidates to ensure that we selected an outstanding leader for the NMA," said Board of Trustees Chair Maureen Mullarkey. "David's strong programmatic vision, entrepreneurial leadership abilities and extensive educational background will allow the NMA to realize our ambitious goals. We are so pleased to bring David and his wife Darby to Nevada and think they both will be a terrific fit for the NMA and our community."
Prior to his position at Art Center College of Design, Walker served as the director and founding partner of Walker and Walker Gallery in Santa Monica, California from 1989 to 1992 where he represented more than 20 artists, established the gallery's curatorial tone, and oversaw the construction of a new exhibition space. His background also includes serving as an associate at McBain, Rose Partners, an investment firm specializing in management buyout transactions, as well as editor and publisher for Element magazine, an internationally distributed arts quarterly. Walker received a Bachelor's Degree in fine art from Humboldt State University and did his graduate work at Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design.
Founded in 1931, the NMA is one of the oldest art museums in the west and the only AAM accredited art museum in Nevada. Over the past ten years the NMA has experienced significant growth culminating in the construction of a new 60,000 sq.ft. facility which opened in 2003. The new NMA is an architectural statement within Reno's unique landscape and is the center of a vibrant and growing downtown arts district. With 15,000 square feet of gallery space for major exhibitions, a 180-seat multimedia theater for presentations, recitals, and films, Café Musée and street-level and rooftop sculpture galleries, the NMA continues to offer audiences of all ages a variety of art experiences.
