Michener Names New Officers

The James A. Michener Art Museum on Monday announced new officers and appointments to its board of trustees.

As of January 1, 2012, Kevin Putman will serve as Chairman, Lou Della Penna will serve as President, Bonnie O’Boyle will serve as Vice President and Virginia Sigety will serve as Secretary.

Additionally, Gregory Church will serve a three-year term as a Board Member.

The museum's 28-member board of trustees is comprised of community leaders, museum volunteers and longstanding members recognized for their commitment to serving the arts and culture of Bucks County.

Kevin Putman is owner and CEO of Penn Color, Inc., a major international manufacturer of colorants for plastics, coatings and printing ink industries headquartered in Doylestown. A member of the museum's board of trustees since 1992, Putman most recently served as president from 2008 to 2011. His family, led by the late Edgar N. Putman, has supported the museum since its inception with generous contributions for the Penn Color Room and Putman-Smith Gallery, as well as various expansion projects both past and present.

“This is an important time in the museum’s history,” Putman said in a statement Monday. “This spring, we complete the third phase of our expansion plan, with the opening of the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion (named in honor of Putman’s father), a beautiful new wing that will provide a revenue stream for exhibitions. The completion of a dedicated education wing will help us to expand our programming for youth, families and adults. We’re also looking forward to Offering of the Angels, a major exhibit of Renaissance paintings traveling from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.”

Lou Della Penna, former President and Founder of LDP Consulting Group, Inc., a Lambertville, New Jersey-based consulting firm specializing in employee benefits solutions, has served on the museum's Board of Trustee's since 2004. A lead donor with his wife Carol, Della Penna chairs the development committee and co-chaired the James A. Michener Centennial Campaign to raise funds for the museum's $11.1 million expansion and renovation. He is also Vice Chairman of the Board at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Della Penna recalls visiting the museum’s very first exhibit on Pennsylvania Impressionism numerous times - “It was a mecca for us” -- and becoming a collector as a result. Twelve works from his collection are in "The Painterly Voice: Bucks County’s Fertile Ground," on view at the museum through April 1.

As president, he hopes to expand on what has been accomplished in the museum’s 23-year history. “We will make a concerted effort to provide diverse exhibitions to reach a broader expanse of museum-goers,” Della Penna says. “We will make good use of the newly added spaces for museum functions. When people come to the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion for weddings, bar mitzvahs, sweet sixteens and retirement parties, they will get a feel for the museum, come back and hopefully join as members. We want to introduce as many people as possible to what the museum has to offer.”

He continues: “We provide a comfortable place for people to see and learn about art. We provide events to bring people in, and will build on the history of the education program to teach local schools and beyond to foster an interest in art.”

Bonnie O'Boyle is a lifelong resident of Bucks County. She was born in Bristol and lived there for 60 years before moving to Doylestown five years ago. She's a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an editor of several boating magazines before her retirement. Always interested in art, she bought her first piece while bicycling through Ireland as an undergraduate. She recalls visiting the Michener soon after its move to the old jailhouse, when the collection was exhibited in one small room.
 
"It's humbling to realize how much effort the staff and board of directors of the Michener have made in the last 20 years to build a great regional art museum. Working with them is a joy and a privilege,"  says O'Boyle.

Virginia W. Sigety began her relationship with the Michener Art Museum as a docent in 1998 and was actively involved with such events as “Miles of Mules” and “The Art of Wine.” She served previously on the Michener board from 2005 to 2010 as a member of the Nominating and Development committees.
 
Sigety worked in the banking industry in New York City, was a Vice President at Bankers Trust (now Deutsche Bank), and is an independent fashion consultant.
 
Of her commitment to the Michener, Sigety says, “If societies are defined by the quality of their cultural institutions, then we are truly fortunate to have such an exceptional art museum helping to shape our community.”
 
Gregory Church established Church Capital Management as a registered investment advisor, saw the formation of Bainbridge Securities Inc., and served as President of the trust company that acquired both Church Capital and Bainbridge, and established a mutual fund, Church Capital Value Trust. As a commentator for regional and national media, his views have been sought by Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes magazines, and Business Week. He serves on the Board of Directors of Hopewell Valley Community Bank and on the Board of Trustees of Rider University where he is a member of the Executive Committee.

The is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown. Museum hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4:30 pm; Saturday 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday noon to 5 pm.

Admission: Members and children under 6, free; adults $12.50; seniors $11.50; college student with valid ID $9.50; ages 6-18 $6; under 6 free. For more information, visit www.michenerartmuseum.org or call 215-340-9800.

Annual support for the Michener Art Museum is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Bucks County Commissioners and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.