Visual arts talk
Gates plans to step down
Seattle Art Museum director Mimi Gates will retire July 1, 2009, after 15 years of accomplish-ments that include creation of SAM’s Olympic Sculpture Park and expansion of the museum’s downtown building, as well as increasing SAM’s endowment, attendance and membership and adding more than 6,500 works of art.
Gates said 15 years was just right. “I have derived enormous pleasure from bringing great art to Seattle.”
Gates joined SAM as director in May 1994. At that time, the museum’s membership tracked around 23,000. Since then, admissions at SAM’s three sites have jumped to more than 1 million visitors annually. Membership has increased to nearly 40,000 house-holds and the endowment has grown to approximately $113 million.
Gates has a master’s degree in oriental and Chinese studies and a doctorate in the history of Chinese art.
She has one son and, since her marriage to William Gates Sr., three stepchildren and eight stepgrandchildren. SAM’s board of trustees is in the process of forming a search committee to determine Gates’ successor.
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