The Textile Museum Announces Director’s Resignation

The Textile Museum Announces Director’s Resignation
March 25, 2009, Washington, D.C. — The Textile Museum announced today that Director Daniel
Walker has resigned, effective March 23, 2009. Walker has served as director since May 2005.

In his letter of resignation to the Board of Trustees, Walker wrote, “Given the economic climate, this is a difficult time for museums large and small. Therefore, the Board and I have come to a mutual agreement that this is the right moment for me to assist in the transition to a new director. I am eager to return to various research, writing and exhibition projects that have been set aside over the last four years. My devotion to The Textile Museum and its collection is unwavering, and I look forward to providing advice and assistance to the Museum beyond the official conclusion of my tenure.”

Walker’s letter of resignation was reluctantly accepted by Board President Bruce P. Baganz. In response, Baganz said, “The Textile Museum’s Board of Trustees is grateful for Daniel Walker’s leadership over the past four years. His extensive museum experience and thorough knowledge of textiles has helped to reinforce the Museum’s reputation as a world leader in the study and presentation of the textile arts.”

During Walker’s tenure, The Textile Museum presented 16 diverse and highly acclaimed exhibitions, including three curated by the director himself: Seldom Seen: Director’s Choice from the Museum’s Collections (February 10 – July 30, 2006), Pieces of a Puzzle: Classical Persian Carpet Fragments (September 1, 2006 – January 7, 2007), and Recent Acquisitions (March 6, 2009 – January 3, 2010).

Baganz commented, “We anticipate an exciting schedule of diverse exhibitions in the years ahead which will bear Daniel Walker’s artistic mark, including this spring’s Constructed Color: Amish Quilts and the upcoming exhibitions, Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection, Designing Women of Postwar Britain, and Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats.”

“On behalf of the entire Museum community, we wish Dan all the best in his future endeavors and look forward to an ongoing friendship,” Baganz said.