News: Dallas Museum of Art News

The Education Resource Center at the DMA includes four departments which are directed by the Head (Librarian) and are part of the Public Programs Division of the museum. Recent hiring has taken place and now we are fully staffed.

Robin Works Davis was hired in November as the Manager of Educational Technology. She coordinates the DMA's web site, works with Education managers to develop teaching tools and manages the Collections Information Center. The CIC will be renovated shortly and starting in 2000 will begin using eMuseum from Gallery Systems to disseminate public information about the DMA's art objects. Robin was most recently a librarian in Farmers Branch where she worked with their web site, and art gallery. She has also published books on the subjects of art and children and educational multimedia.

Sammie Morris will be starting in January as the first Project Archivist at the DMA. Sammie most recently managed the Ann Richards Project at UT Austin’s Center for American History. She will be outfitting the DMA spaces and organizing our history in preparation for the Centennial in 2003.

Rita Lasater has recently expanded her staff and now has two full-time assistants in the Visual Resource Library. Giselle Castro-Brightenburg is the Assistant Manager and Michael Mazurek is their new Assistant. Art acquisitions and upcoming exhibitions are keeping them busy. In addition, a scanner and color laser printer were recently acquired and requests for the scanned and corrected images are quickly taking over as the most requested items by staff and public.

Mayer Library is starting the new year with the acquisition of an integrated system. A contract has been signed with Endeavor for the purchase of Voyager. We plan to "go live" with the OPAC in April. Cathy Zisk has been working hard to extract and clean our data, working with Marcive. Mary Leonard has been doing a fabulous job at remaining calm while coordinating all public services and acquisitions. Mary is also starting to offer workshops for docents to introduce them to electronic resources.

The Information Services Committee of the DMA Board of Trustees sponsors the Vasari Award, given to outstanding book-length publications that provide insight into works of art or aspects of art history and theory that enrich our understanding of visual arts. The 1999 Award was presented to John R. Clarke for his book, Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250 (University of California Press). The award was celebrated at a luncheon on December 9th which included a public lecture by Dr. Clarke entitled, "Context is Everything: The Erotic Picture in Elite and Non-Elite Homes at Pompeii." Coincidentally, moments before the luncheon began, Anne Bromberg, Curator of Ancient Art at the DMA (and Chief Juror of the Vasari) received word that the DMA had successfully bid on a Roman mosaic at a Christie's sale that day!

In addition to coordinating all of the above, Jacqui Allen has been acclimating to life in Dallas and at the DMA.