DOYLESTOWN, PA – The board of trustees of the James A. Michener Art Museum has announced the appointment of the museum’s next executive director: Kathleen V. Jameson, Ph.D., who formerly served as president & CEO of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Jameson will begin her tenure at the Michener Art Museum on July 9, 2018.
“After an exhaustive search that spanned the country and top-notch candidates, we are thrilled to have found a new leader who is exceptionally qualified not only as a nationally recognized scholar of American art, but also as a dynamic museum director with proven business acumen,” said Gregory Church, president of the James A. Michener board of trustees. “Beginning in this 30th anniversary year, Kathleen will be moving the Michener forward in exciting and promising new ways.”
“The Michener is a great institution poised to leap into a bright new future,” said Dr. Jameson. “The museum’s mission and artistic focus align with my own scholarly interests. Having grown up in Bethlehem and Philadelphia, I am also especially delighted to return to my roots and to contribute to the growth and relevance of such a significant treasure as the Michener.”
Prior to leading the Mint Museum for seven years, Dr. Jameson was assistant director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. During her twenty-five-plus year career, she has been affiliated also with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the University of Houston, the University of Delaware, and the Delaware Art Museum. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she earned an M.A. in the history of art from the University of Louisville, a Ph.D. in the history of art from the University of Delaware, and an M.B.A. from Rice University. She has authored numerous publications, and has curated many exhibitions that encompass a wide spectrum of artists, eras, and media. Dr. Jameson is a National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program Fellow, member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and serves as a peer reviewer for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as well as AAM.
The appointment of Dr. Jameson follows a nationwide search led by Arts Consulting Group.
This year, the Michener Art Museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Museum has evolved from a modest facility with a locally derived mission–it opened in 1988 on the site of the former Bucks County Jail–to an accredited world class-facility with a broad vision. A remarkable collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings, along with special and other permanent exhibitions showcasing a wide range of historical and contemporary work, attract annually more than 135,000 visitors.
For more information, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215.340.9800.
