DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) today announced that John R. Lane, the Museum’s Eugene McDermott Director, will retire in May 2008. The Museum concurrently announced that it has selected Bonnie Pitman, its Deputy Director, to succeed Dr. Lane as Director.

Ms. Pitman was the unanimous choice of the trustees of the DMA. After Dr. Lane informed the board this past month of his intention to step down, they discussed forming a search committee but quickly came to the conclusion that the ideal person to lead the DMA was Ms. Pitman.

Ms. Pitman joined the DMA as Deputy Director in 2000. In addition to working closely with Dr. Lane on directing the museum’s programming and administration, Ms. Pitman has been spearheading the DMA’s initiatives to advance the museum’s educational mission and enhance the visitor experience. Her work has culminated in the creation of the Center for Creative Connections, a new 12,000 square-foot facility opening in spring 2008 that will provide innovative models for art education and interpretation with programming focusing on the creative process of the artist as well as the creative process of engaging with works of art. The Center is based on an original three-year visitor research project headed by Ms. Pitman which examined in depth the ways in which visitors prefer to experience art, the results of which have fundamentally changed the museum’s programming culture and relationships with its constituencies.

Ms. Pitman has been a leader in the art museum field for 30 years, having held curatorial, education, and administrative positions at the University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum, where she was deputy director, Seattle Art Museum, where she served as deputy director and as acting director, New Orleans Museum of Art, and Winnipeg Art Gallery. Prior to being recruited by Dr. Lane, Ms. Pitman served as Executive Director of the Bay Area Discovery Museum for five years. Ms. Pitman led the Discovery Museum’s master planning and capital campaign to improve the facility and programs.