Hickory Museum of Art announces Executive Director’s departure to Mobile Museum of Art

Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) announced that Jon Carfagno, Executive Director, has accepted a position in Mobile, Alabama, as the Executive Director of Mobile Museum of Art (MMofA). He will depart HMA effective January 14, 2023. Mobile Museum of Art is a city and countysupported institution in the heart of Alabama’s fourth largest city of 190,000 people. The facility was expanded in 2014 with a $15 million capital campaign. MMofA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and its 95,000 square feet is four times larger than HMA.

Carfagno joined Hickory Museum of Art as the institution’s fifth Executive Director in April 2017. He has steered the museum’s growth and evolution by collaborating with the HMA team, Board, and volunteers to implement the HMA’s strategic plans, which has helped the institution exceed its financial and programming goals. Jon holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Massachusetts and completed Kendall College of Art and Design’s MBA Certificate Program in Design and Innovation Management. His familiarity and expertise in programmatic development, community engagement, and strategic thinking were instrumental in building partnerships and connecting new audiences with Hickory Museum of Art.

“I am very grateful for the kindness, generosity, and support that surround HMA. It is rare to work in a community where businesses, supporters, and partners invest so deeply in the importance of art and creativity. I feel so fortunate for relationships that we’ve developed and know that our team will do a characteristically outstanding job to continue growing the museum’s reach and impact,” Jon stated.

During Jon’s tenure, Hickory Museum of Art presented blockbuster exhibitions such as “A Grand Vision: Elliott Daingerfield Paints Grandfather Mountain and the Grand Canyon”,“Juan Logan: Creating and Collecting”, and the current installation, “Mel Chin: SEA to SEE”, on loan from The Mint Museum. In 2018, “BlowUp: Inflatable Contemporary Art” brought artwork of a form and size unlike Hickory had ever seen. The museum experienced recordbreaking attendance with its “Works by Warhol” exhibition in the first half of 2021. Carfagno also led the museum in expanding the scope, representation, and diversity of the Collection through the purchases and acquisitions of artworks by Jeffrey Gibson, Susanna Allen Hunter, and a premier work by Juan Logan.

Board of Trustees President, Jeff Behmer, says “Jon’s passion for art and museums is infectious. He has propelled our community forward in its appreciation for HMA and created regional and national awareness of HMA exhibits and programming. Jon will be missed, but HMA will move forward as an even stronger institution because of Jon’s tenure in Hickory. We wish the best success for Jon and his family.”

For more information about the museum, exhibitions, art classes, field trips, and events, visit the website at www.hickoryart.org or call the Museum at 828327-8576, ext. 201.