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The Most Fort Worthian Way of Celebrating
The Carter is turning 60!
To celebrate, the beloved museum is throwing itself one incredible birthday bash on Saturday, September 25, and you’re invited!
The new museum under construction, 1960. The building was clad with a cream-colored shellstone native to Texas; Johnson then appointed the interior spaces with granite, extruded bronze, and Burmese teak.
I recently talked to Madeleine Fitzgerald, the Carter’s Manager of Adult Programs, about what we can expect at the Birthday Bash.
“We’ve been working on it for almost a year,” Madeleine said. “We have a whole list of activities that celebrate our community.”
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art opened to the public in 1961. Since then, the Carter has been a cornerstone of the Cultural District and an ambassador of Fort Worth’s artistic heritage. Through programs like the Carter Community Artists and working with partners like Artes de la Rosa, the Girl Scouts of the Texas-Oklahoma Plains, the Onstead Institute of the University of North Texas, and the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society, the museum brings all of Fort Worth opportunities to explore art.
The Birthday Bash promises fun for the whole family starting at 4 pm with Carter Community Artists past and present leading activities designed to inspire your creativity. Take a selfie and add it to a giant photo mural. Leave your birthday wishes and memories of the museum on a giant birthday card. Experiment with different photography lenses and physical filters with your camera phone at the #YesFilter booth. Most activities are outside so that you can explore and create in safety.
Of course, the museum will be open for self-guided tours. Grab a 60th Birthday Art Discovery Guide and take a decade-themed tour through the museum. Additionally, Anila Quayyum Agha: A Beautiful Despair opens to the public on the day of the Bash, as does the long-awaited celebration of Fort Worth’s own Scott and Stuart Gentling, Imagined Realism: Scott and Stuart Gentling. Docents will be available to answer any question you might have. And don’t leave without browsing through the Museum Shop. They’re having a big sale!
At 6:30, Fort Worth’s own DJ Ronnie Heart starts spinning music to get you up on your feet. After all, you can’t have a party without dancing! Afterward, acclaimed Americana musician Shakey Graves takes the stage at 8 pm. And to finish an incredible day of celebrating, the fireworks show promises the biggest birthday candles our city has ever seen!
Photo courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Of course, you can’t have a birthday party without food, and the museum will have some of the best food trucks around to tempt you. Members can enjoy free tacos in the VIP section. (Not a member yet? Click here to learn more about all the amazing benefits that membership brings.) On the lower lawn, there will be a screen live streaming the concert for those who want to kick back and relax.
“We were looking for the ‘most Fort Worthian’ way of celebrating,” Madeleine said. “This [party] is a way to be good hosts and give back to our community for 60 years of support.”
