Academy of Arts brings ex-curator back as director

By Virginia Wageman
Advertiser Art Critic

Stephen Little, a former curator of Asian art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, has been named director of the academy, succeeding George R. Ellis, who will retire Feb. 1, 2003.

Little, who holds a doctorate from Yale University, is curator of Asian art at the Art Institute of Chicago. A scholar of Chinese and Japanese art and languages, he has been curator of important exhibitions and published widely in the field. He worked at the academy from 1989 to 1994.

Ellis, the academy's seventh director, has served in that position for 20 years. He has overseen major renovation and expansion projects, including the building of the Luce Pavilion, which added 8,000 square feet of gallery space to the museum. During his tenure, membership has doubled, and there has been substantial growth in the endowment. The museum will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2002.