CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Joseph B. Schenk, former executive director with the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Okla., has been named director of the Art Museum of South Texas, an affiliate of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Schenk, who holds a master of arts degree from Ball State University in Indiana, served as the director of the Gilcrease Museum for four years where he developed a plan that included extensive additions to exhibition and educational programs. From 1988 to 2004, he was director of the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Ala., overseeing a $15.5 million expansion, building membership from 700 to more than 3,000 and adding thousands of works to the museum’s collection.

“Corpus Christi is a Texas jewel and community leaders are extremely committed to its downtown, the arts, and the University,” said Schenk. “I look forward to the pleasure of working in partnership with the community in its vision and commitment to make the Art Museum of South Texas one of the finest art museums in the country.”

The Art Museum of South Texas, which formally opened in 1972, enjoys an international reputation for excellence and design. Emphasis is placed on developing a comprehensive collection of work by artists associated with the state of Texas.