When patrons walk into the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this fall, they won’t be exploring a new special exhibition focused on one artist. Instead, they’ll see the museum’s permanent collection captured in the spotlight for nearly a year.
Starting Oct. 31, the museum will showcase its catalog of modern and contemporary art in “In the Making: Stories from the Collection.” The self-proclaimed evolving exhibition will feature 10 stories — effectively mini-exhibits — that change over the course of its run to showcase the museum’s collection of more than 2,500 artworks dating from 1945 to today.
The exhibition will be on view through Aug. 15, 2027.
“In the Making” sets the stage for celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Modern’s Cultural District building in December 2027. The world-renowned minimalist concrete museum was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
Director Halona Norton-Westbrook said the Modern is looking back to celebrate the past while looking forward to its future.
“Through this exhibition, we are excited to offer our community an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the artworks in our collection as well as an appreciation of the vibrant spirit that has built this incredible museum,” she said in a statement.
A broader focus on the collection is one of Norton-Westbrook’s primary goals. She joined the museum last July after longtime director Marla Price’s retirement.
Norton-Westbrook previously told the Fort Worth Report that the museum’s curatorial team worked too frequently in a cycle of planning seasonal exhibitions.
“We’re not giving enough space to the permanent collection, so (we’re) adjusting the balance of how often we do that,” she said in August 2025. “We also want to support our curators by giving them a longer runway of planning and conceiving.”
In the weeks leading up to the exhibition’s opening, the Modern will transform its lobby into a free, public studio for The Sculpture Project. Starting Sept. 29, visitors of all ages can build their own sculptures from materials provided.
The Modern’s current special exhibition, “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers,” closes Sunday.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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