Updated at 1:25 p.m., Tuesday, November 28, 2006
State art museum director moves to Mission Houses
Advertiser Staff
After four years as director of the Hawai'i State Art Museum, David J. de la Torre will become the executive director of the 86-year-old Mission Houses Museum on Dec. 18.Following a six-month national search to fill the spot, the Mission Houses Museum Board of Trustees unanimously chose the O'ahu resident, who was also the Associate Director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts from 1991 to 2002.
The museum had close to 70 applicants for the job, said board president Robert Becker. The museum interviewed candidates from the Mainland, "because we wanted the best person out there. But we were always interested in David. The cream rose to the top."
"Mission Houses Museum and the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society are venerable institutions deeply rooted in the cultural life of our community," said de la Torre in a written statement. "The educational programs and rich collections of the museum represent important historic and educational resources that need to be preserved and made more readily available for people to enjoy and appreciate, both now and in the future. I am delighted to have been chosen to lead the museum into a new phase of growth and development."
