LONG BEACH MUSEUM DIRECTOR PUSHED OUT OF POSITION

The Los Angeles Times reports that Harold Nelson has been pushed out after seventeen and a half years as director of the Long Beach Museum of Art, prompted at least partly by trustees’ displeasure with his emphasis on craft exhibitions. Nelson, fifty-nine, exited November 27, and declined to comment Thursday, except via a prepared statement in which he cited his accomplishments at “this widely respected little jewel of a museum,” including overseeing a seven-million-dollar expansion in 2000. Ron Nelson (no relation), the museum’s development director and former board president, will serve as interim director. “The change, we feel, is necessary for the future growth and vitality of the institution,” Pamela Munzer, president of the board, said Wednesday.