Dishman Art Museum
The Dishman Art Museum, then the Dishman Art Gallery, opened its doors to the Lamar University and Southeast Texas community on May 13, 1983. Herb and Kate Dishman, longstanding pillars of the community, spearheaded the campaign to expand the cultural breadth of Lamar University with the founding of a space dedicated to the research and exhibition of the visual arts. Their initial generous donation, supplemented by further financial support from the community, and the state of Texas, laid the foundation for architect Martin Gordy’s stunning two-story exhibition space, complete with offices and lecture hall.
The founding director of the Dishman Art Gallery was Dr. Lynne Lokensgard. Lokensgard had been a member of the Department of Art faculty since 1973, serving as the department’s art historian. Lokensgard stepped down as director in 2003 and retired from Lamar as professor emeritus in 2012.
The permanent collection of the Dishman Art Museum actually began two years before the opening of the museum with the generous donation of African and Pre-Colombian art and artifacts by the Petrutsas family, a collection of shields from New Guinea, donated by the Nicklos family, and the donation of Caleb and the Spies (c. 1740), painted by Mattia Preti, from Heinz and Ruth Eisenstadt.
The Dishman Art Museum continues to grow annually. The permanent collection now consists of over 1500 objects of art and visual culture. Seventy objects have been acquired since 2012. The Dishman Art Museum has a produced three digital publications and four print publications since 2012.