Aloha ‘oe: Parting words from Halona Norton-Westbrook

May 16 is Halona Norton-Westbrook’s last day as director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art, before she and her husband Jim Tucker and daughter Minerva move to Fort Worth, where she will assume the position of director at the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth in July. In her last weeks at HoMA Halona has been busy, working to the very end to clinch final donations, make strategic hires, and generally tie up loose ends to hand a brightly burning torch to Interim Director and CEO Penni Hall. 

You had an unorthodox start to your tenure at HoMA—navigating an institution through a pandemic. Talk about baptism by fire. How did that inform your more than five years here?

The pandemic of course presented unprecedented and unique challenges for every person and organization across the globe and in that sense there is nothing unique about HoMA’s experience through that period. From a personal standpoint, arriving just before pandemic was strange, as I had very little time to get to know HoMA and see it in action in a pre-pandemic world. That being said, I think the pandemic also was a push for us to be creative, to think out of the box, and to positively challenge perceptions of how things have always been done. In the long run, that amounted to a lot of new thinking and evolution. 

During that time, you led the museum in the creation of a Strategic Plan that has been a strong guide during your entire tenure. What would you say are concrete things that you were able to accomplish thanks to the plan?

Bringing our arts and education closer together than ever before—illustrated most clearly in the Art School curriculum that takes inspiration from our collection and exhibitions and brings students into the galleries for one-on-one encounters with works of art. Another thing that the plan has helped foster is an increased focus on high-quality, creative, and ambitious exhibitions and artist projects, such as Hung Liu, Rebecca Louise Law, Salman Toor, David Hockney, Satoru Abe.

Visitor numbers are up 80% over pre-pandemic numbers, you oversaw the revamp of the Art School to an institution with a standardized curriculum and increasing enrollment, and you have made key hires that have resulted in improved security and facility management, among other things. What are you most proud of having accomplished at HoMA?

I am most proud of our incredible staff, watching them grow and evolve, embracing new ideas and coming to be stronger believers in their own creativity and resiliency. In addition, I’m proud to be leaving the museum in a strong and healthy position, poised for greater success and evolution. 

On a more personal note, how has living and working in Hawai‘i impacted you? 
My family has history in Hawai‘i  dating back to the 1970s and my youngest child was born here in 2020. The connection I feel to this place is deep and lasting. I have profound gratitude and respect for Hawai‘i and the ‘āina. The opportunity to live here has challenged me and changed me in meaningful ways that I will carry forward for the rest of my life. I have a profound respect for nature and the ocean that has grown so much throughout my time here. I look forward to being a lifelong visitor to the Islands and a dear friend to the museum for the rest of my life.