The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art’s Board of Directors has unanimously voted to rename the museum’s Carnegie Wing in honor of the late Mary Bryan Hood, who served as the museum’s only executive director from its founding in 1977 until her death last year.
Board Chair Jim Naas made the announcement Saturday night during a reception as the Owensboro Art Guild opened its 63rd Annual Juried Exhibition. Naas highlighted Hood’s enduring impact on the museum and the local arts community.
“In honor and in memory of Mary Bryan Hood’s long commitment to the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, her leadership, and her generosity for many years, I am pleased to announce that the board has unanimously agreed to rename the Carnegie Wing as the Mary Bryan Hood Exhibition Wing,” Naas said.
The decision to rename the wing was an easy one, according to Naas, given Hood’s decades of service and the role she played in shaping the museum’s legacy.
“We only had one director here for the entirety of the museum’s history until her passing, so you have to give her a lot of credit for putting things on her shoulders and building this incredible institution,” he said. “It was important for us to acknowledge her work and commitment, and this is a meaningful way to do that.”
The Carnegie Wing, which was originally part of the Carnegie Library, was a natural choice for the renaming due to its significance within the museum, Naas said.
“There are limited spaces in any facility that can be named for someone,” he said. “The Carnegie Wing is a central part of the museum, and it was an easy transition. She was as solid as the Carnegie building itself.”
The wing houses four galleries, including the religious art gallery, and plays a vital role in the museum’s mission, according to current Executive Director Jason Hayden.
“One thing I want to point out is that this wing is almost like the beating heart of the museum,” Hayden said. “We have changing exhibits in this space every six to eight weeks. Just because you’ve seen something at the museum once doesn’t mean it will be the same when you return. We continuously bring in art from the community, state, region, and beyond so that visitors can enjoy and learn from it.”
Hood’s contributions to the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art and the broader art community were extensive. She led the museum through major expansions, including a $3 million project in 1994 that added two new wings and a 2020 capital campaign that raised $2.3 million to establish an operational endowment, refurbish the museum’s historic facility, and provide sustaining support.
Beyond her work at the museum, Hood served as the first chairperson and later executive director of the Owensboro Arts Commission. She was involved in numerous state and national arts organizations, including the Kentucky Bicentennial Commission, the Kentucky Arts Council, and the Kentucky Association of Museums, where she served as president.
