Alan Dodge has served in the art museum world for over 45 years. In 1972 Mr Dodge became a lecturer in the Education Department of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In 1975 he was appointed the first Senior Research Officer of the fledgling Australian National Gallery (now National Gallery of Australia), where he stayed for 21 years. During that time, he held a number of positions, culminating in the role of Senior Advisor, Special Exhibitions and Development. In late 1996 Mr Dodge was appointed Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, a position he held for eleven years until the end of 2007, when he retired.
Alan has served for 15 years on the board of the National Portrait Gallery, has been a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Strategic Advisory Board at Murdoch University as well as serving on a number of boards and committees involved in strategies for the cultural future of Perth and WA. He was also on the Opera and Classical Music Panel of the Helpmann Awards for six years.
Alan was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the French Government in 2004, an Honorary Fellow by Edith Cowan University in 2007, and was recognised with an honour in the Order of Australia (AM) in 2008 for service to the arts. In 2011 he was named Western Australia Citizen of the Year, Culture, Arts and Entertainment, and made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Murdoch University in 2012 and also an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Curtin University in 2018.