Keyworth retiring from Fuller Craft Museum

Gretchen Keyworth, founding director and chief curator of the Fuller Craft Museum, will retire on March 26, the Brockton, Massachusetts, museum has announced.

Keyworth joined the museum in 2003 and lead the museum through its 2004 transformation from the Fuller Museum of Art, which had organized significant exhibitions of Boston-area artists such as its 1991 Henry Schwartz retrospective and 1996 Hyman Bloom retrospective, to the Fuller Craft Museum, with a more narrow focus on craft but an international focus on artists in this field. During Keyworth’s tenure, the Fuller staged nearly 100 exhibitions, organized four nationally-touring shows, and added to its collection. Since 2003, membership has doubled, and visitation has nearly doubled, the museum reports.

Keyworth previously founded and helped lead a glass gallery and chain of craft stores, and organized major annual craft shows. From 2001 to 2003, she was director of cultural promotions for the city of Boston.

Keyworth stepped down from her role as the Fuller's executive director in May 2009 (Wyona Lynch-McWhite became director last July), but continued to organize exhibitions there as chief curator.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished at Fuller Craft,” Keyworth said in a prepared statement, “and feel the museum is in good hands moving forward. I am looking forward to getting back into the studio myself, and returning to consulting in this field, which I have done off and on for 40 years now. I will continue to look after Fuller Craft as I move forward."

Keyworth will retain the honorary title of director emeritus, the museum reports.