Aaron Walker has been promoted to operations manager of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, marking the latest milestone in a career that began nearly a decade ago at the local institution.
Walker, a native of Owensboro, returned to the city in 2004 after spending much of his childhood in Daytona, Florida. He earned an associate degree with an emphasis in fine art from Owensboro Community & Technical College before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts from the University of Southern Indiana.
He began working at OMFA in 2016 as a staff assistant and was later promoted to preparator in 2023 before his most recent promotion to operations manager.
“It feels great,” Walker said. “I’ve been here for a number of years — it’s getting close to a decade now — and it’s nice to be appreciated. There’s a lot more responsibility, but I enjoy the job.”
As operations manager, Walker now oversees the museum’s day-to-day operations, exhibition design, installation and lighting, and the execution of all museum programming.
“I started here doing part-time work and eventually moved into a full-time position,” he said. “As preparator, I was the one hanging and moving the art, prepping exhibits. I learned a lot about how everything functions here, which prepared me for this new role.”
Looking ahead, Walker said he’s excited about several new projects — most notably, the museum’s plans to build an educational annex to enhance its community engagement.
“Right now it’s just an empty lot, but we’re in the process of developing it,” Walker said. “Once it’s built, that’ll be another part of operations I’ll be responsible for, and I’m really looking forward to that.”
He encouraged the community to visit and take part in the museum’s many events.
“The museum is a great place, and anyone from the community should come by,” he said. “If you have children, check out our education events. We do a big holiday forest at Christmas and other things year-round. I’m just happy to be here and help however I can.”
The museum is located at 9th and Frederica streets and is free and open to all Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit omfa.us or call 270-685-3181.
