Clayton Bass — Partner

Clayton brings over twenty years of museum management and fundraising experience to the Alexander Haas team, having served for eight years as President and CEO of the Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA) in Alabama, seven years as Executive Director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA) in Mississippi, and seven years as Coordinator of Exhibitions at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. At each institution, Clayton was engaged in successful, transformative campaigns and facility expansions. As Director of HMA’s Masterpiece In the Making Campaign, Clayton led his committee to surpass the original $10 million goal by raising over $14 million for capital, endowment, and collections and at the Carlos Museum, assisted in a campaign to quadruple the gallery space.

As a consultant, he has worked with numerous museums including the Spelman College Museum of Art, the Lamar Dodd Art Center at LaGrange College and was the principal designer and general contractor for the inaugural Airport Art Program for Concourse E at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Clayton served on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce in Huntsville; and served as President of the Ocean Springs Chamber. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Huntsville/Madison County Hospitality Association. Clayton served for five years on the Steering Committee for Create Huntsville, a consortium of arts institutions, universities, businesses, and tourism development organizations with a shared goal of invigorating the cultural core of Huntsville.

Clayton is an experienced retreat facilitator focusing on board and staff development, governance best practices and long-range planning, and as a frequent speaker on topics such as exploring fundraising within the corporate sector, project development, and institutional sustainability in a challenging economy.

He is assessor of the American Association of Museums (AAM) Accreditation Site Review Committee and was President of the Mississippi Museum Association Board of Directors. Clayton has served on the Council of the Alabama Museums Association and has been active in the Southeastern Art Museum Directors organization.

Clayton is also an artist who creates acrylic paintings inspired by nature. A North Carolina native, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from East Carolina University. He also completed the SUNY Studio Semester Program at Empire State College in Manhattan. He has shown his work professionally for the past 25 years and is represented in museum, private, and corporate collections. Clayton is married to children’s author Hester Bass, and they have two children. He enjoys hiking, photography, collecting southern art pottery and studio glass, and visiting museums of all descriptions.