JACKSON, Wyo. — The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) announced that its founder William G. Kerr died on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at age 85.
“We have lost more than just a Museum Founder but a true visionary in the art world,” Museum Director Steve Seamons said in a press release. “Speaking about the Museum in 1994, Kerr said, ‘May it long serve those who come to this place in search of the wild, the natural, the forgotten, and the serene.’ One thing that will never be forgotten is the legacy of Bill and Joffa Kerr. This Museum is a testament to their vision, philanthropy and enduring impact on the art world.”
The museum grew out of Kerr’s personal collection of wildlife art, which he and his wife, Joffa, started collecting after she gave him a painting of a panfish for his law school graduation in 1962. A few years later, the couple acquired Wanderers Above Timberline by Carl Rungius, which would go on to become a cornerstone of the NMWA’s collection.
Along with eight other founding trustees, William and Joffa opened the Wildlife of the American West Art Museum on Jackson’s Town Square in 1987. In 2008, the museum’s board awarded Kerr the title of Chairman Emeritus in recognition of his legacy at the NMWA, a title he held for the rest of his life.
