COURTESY SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART
The San Jose Museum of Art in California has announced that Susan Krane will step down as executive director on January 31. Krane “will be focusing on several personal research and writing projects, including her longstanding interest in creative modes of community engagement in contemporary art museums,” according to a press statement.
Since joining the SJMA in 2008, Krane has launched new strategic and financial plans for the museum. Hildy Shandell, president of SJMA’s board of trustees, explained that Krane’s “fiscal discipline helped keep the museum financially sound” after the recession hit in 2008. During her tenure, Krane expanded SJMA’s collection, public programming, and STEAM education program. She also organized exhibitions of the work of artists including Leo Villareal, Eric Fischl, and Tabaimo, as well as several group shows, including the current exhibition, “Your Mind, This Moment, Art and the Practice of Meditation.”
Susan Sayre Batton, deputy director of curatorial affairs, will serve as interim director while a nationwide search for a new executive director is conducted.