James D. Thornton Picked to Chair Baltimore Museum of Art Board
The Baltimore Museum of Artwork (BMA) on July 12 revealed that it has named James D. Thornton to chair its board. Thornton, who’s Black, is the primary particular person of coloration to imagine the function for the reason that museum was established in 1914. A board member since 2004, he’s the establishment’s twenty-sixth chair and succeeds Clair Zamoiski Segal, who held the submit for seven years and can stay on the board.
“I’m extraordinarily honored to comply with within the footsteps of so many achieved board chairs who performed pivotal roles in establishing the Baltimore Museum of Artwork as a cultural anchor over the previous 108 years,” mentioned Thornton in a press release.
Thornton is the managing director of Thorwood Actual Property Group. He was beforehand vice chairman of Sears & Co., the place he labored for twenty-seven years, and held a number of roles at MBNA Financial institution, together with that of vice chairman. A lifetime member of the NAACP, Thornton is a famous philanthropist, having served as chairman of Talladega School’s board of trustees and president of the Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders, and as a member of the Harford County Planning and Zoning Advisory Board and Judicial Planning Fee.
Thornton’s appointment to the function of BMA board chair comes because the museum struggles to extend variety, fairness, and inclusion inside its partitions. He’s a member of the committee charged with discovering a substitute for former BMA director Chris Bedford, who departed in June to steer the San Francisco Museum of Trendy Artwork. Bedford, who’s white and a longtime champion of variety, on his departure echoed the feelings of many Baltimore artists, telling native information station WBAL, “A sure-fire signal of success can be that the incoming director didn’t seem like me.”
Thornton in a press release promised to proceed pushing in the identical course. “My dedication is to proceed to construct on each our sturdy inventive program and our social fairness and variety work throughout the establishment.”
