Kathleen Ambrogi – Docent of the Year 2012

Kathi Ambrogi

It is a pleasure to announce that Kathleen Ambrogi has been selected to receive the award of Docent of the Year for 2012 at the James A. Michener Art Museum.  She is a member of our latest Docent Training Class of 2011 which began to lead tours during early 2012.  Kathi jumped right in and has been indefatigable!  She has shown boundless energy and enthusiasm for learning about both the MichenerArt Museum’s core collection and the artists represented in our many changing exhibits.  Kathi has demonstrated true dedication in her preparation for group tours of all ages, carefully researching appropriate information to share and selecting relevant interactive materials.  Kathi completes all assignments with attention to detail and professional presentations, whether preparing an artist background brief on Violet Oakley, tutoring fellow docents on using technology on tours, updating and maintaining our Michener Art Museum Docent Website as a centralized online reference tool, or working as part of this year’s Senior Artist Initiative team.  We appreciate her commitment to the museum and feel fortunate to have Kathi involved in the docent program.  Congratulations!

Biographical Background:  Retired teacher of English, Art and Information Technology in the US and abroad (South Africa, Pakistan, Portugal, Liberia, Cameroon).  Has recently served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Red Cross Homeless Shelter in Levittown, PA.  Also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.

Well-Adjusted Jane

Jane Aker

Named 2012 Volunteer of the Year, Jane Aker is recognized for her outstanding work at the James A. Michener Art Museum.  Jane was selected in part for her enthusiasm and willingness to be “put wherever she is needed.”

Jane says:  “I have always loved museums, especially art museums.  So I decided to volunteer at the Michener to learn more.  I never expected I would not only appreciate the art, but also the people involved with the museum.  It has been so rewarding and FUN!”  Jane has been having fun at the Michener for thirteen years.

Her favorite spot in the Michener is the Putman-Smith Gallery with its ever-changing exhibits showcasing works from the Michener’s outstanding collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings.  Between Garber and Redfield, Ramsey and Sotter, it’s hard for Jane to pin down a favorite.

When asked for a favorite memory, out of the many made at the museum, she replied “I loved dressing up as Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West during the {2010} Icons of Costume exhibit to entice visitors to dress up themselves and create a video from one of the featured movies; not to mention the challenges of the {2012} Uffizi exhibit.”

Out of all the outstanding Michener exhibits, the one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest in Jane’s mind is Painterly Voice curated by Brian Peterson, Michener’s Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator.  “Brian Peterson is a gem,” says Jane, and a lot of people agree with her.

Jane also volunteers for Aid for Friends making/packing meals for homebound folks in the Philadelphia and Bucks County areas.  When she is not busy volunteering, Jane works part-time for a psychologist in Doylestown, as she has for 29 years.  Jokingly, she quips “You’d think I would be well-adjusted by now.”  Those who know her can attest to the fact that she is very much so. 

Jane plans to retire in the fall leaving more time for her first love, traveling … aside from husband Dave who is also very active at the Michener helping at the front desk, tending the  gardens, and serving as volunteer liaison on the Michener Board of Trustees.  Their travel has included Egypt, Galapagos, Peru, Grand Canyon, and Turkey.  Not to mention Cambridge, Massachusetts to see their daughter Jenny, and Richmond, Virginia to visit their son and family.  With two granddaughters, Jane does not look old enough to be a grandparent.  In the planning stage is a family trip to Costa Rica. 

Throwing in a few bridge games here and there and a couple of weekly visits to the YMCA to tone and trim her body rounds out our affable, warm and friendly volunteer.  Jane thinks it is all pretty special to share this enjoyment of the Michener Art Museum with her husband Dave.

Jane Aker shares the 2012 Michener Volunteer of the Year award with Sandie Bauder.

by Connie Wrzesniewski

Michener Tribute Day Rewards

Food collected during Michener Art Museum Tribute Day, May 8th. Food will be donated to the Doylestown Food Pantry.

Despite the early rain, we had close to 650 visitors and at least 50 pounds of food donated during James A. Michener Art Museum Tribute Day on May 8th …. A great way to begin celebrating the Michener’s Silver Anniversary! 

Listen to Lisa Tremper Hanover, Director and CEO, share our pride.  She also remarks on the support of amazing Michener volunteers in the Silver Anniversary link above.  Thank you for all that you do for us!

The Michener’s new logo and website were launched at a press gathering during Michener Tribute day.  Check them out!

Next time you are in the Michener, remember to cast your vote for your favorite work of art in the Michener permanent collection, some have never been exhibited before!  You can do it at the museum or on line.  The top 25 works selected will be featured in “The People’s Choice: Celebrating Michener’s Top 25″ opening February, 2014.

Standing On Our Toes for You

Michener volunteers and members keep us on our toes!  We miss you Joan!

Like if you think this is the best looking Museum staff.

One Amazing Contribution

Joan smiling with Bruce Katsiff and Herman Silverman at the 1997 Michener Member Appreciation Day

This week the James A. Michener Art Museum is saying goodbye to a dedicated employee who has been with the museum for 22 years! Joan Welcker will retire this week from her position in the Michener’s Advancement Department where she develops and implements all of the membership programs and activities. She also helps with development events.

A lot has changed since Joan started at the Michener all those years ago. She began as a membership assistant. At that time the museum had a mere 688 members compared to the 5,000 members it has today. It also only had seven employees. She learned a lot about computers during her time at the Michener. When she started, Joan did not know how to use a computer. By 1993 she networked and installed fundraising software in the new computers that the museum acquired. Then, in 1999, when the museum purchased computers for all the employees, Joan became the IT manager.

Joan’s family members have also contributed greatly to the Michener. She says the museum was a “family affair”. Both her husband and mother have volunteered at the museum. Her husband helped at the wine table during member receptions. When her mother would visit several times a year from New York, she would volunteer in the office. Joan’s daughter also was the first Michener “Junior Volunteer of the Year”. What a dedicated and giving family!

Joan reflects on her time and memories at the Michener: “I am very grateful that I was a part of the Museum’s growth, from two galleries separated by a courtyard, to today’s institution.  It has been an amazing experience. I am also very thankful for the remarkable people I have met through the years and the wonderful friendships I have made.”

Joan has been a major contributor to the Michener’s growth and success during her time at the museum. She will be missed by many and we hope she enjoys the next chapter in her life!

by Kaitlin Beck

Michener Volunteers Honored

2012 Ann Silverman Award recipients: Jane Aker, Kathi Ambrogi and Sandie Bauder

The James A. Michener Art Museum honored four outstanding volunteers at the nineteenth annual Volunteer Recognition Award Ceremony on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.  The event celebrates the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who continually support the Michener Art Museum’s mission of educating our community to develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. 

Kristina Mendlowski, 2012 Jr. Volunteer of the Year

Chosen from a pool of dozens of nominees and selected by the Michener Volunteer Council, the 2012 Ann Silverman award recipients are:  Jane Aker and Sandie Bauder, co-recipients of the Volunteers of the Year, Kathi Ambrogi Docent of the Year, and Kristina Mendlowski Junior Volunteer of the Year.  In presenting the awards, Jeffra Silverman Nandan, daughter of the late Ann Silverman, spoke about her Mother’s passion for volunteering throughout her life and paid special tribute to each recipient. Seventy five additional volunteers were also recognized for their hourly contribution.   

Lisa Tremper Hanover, Director & CEO, spoke about the enjoyment of her own volunteer experiences and what volunteers mean to the Michener Art Museum. “We are very fortunate to have a strong and dedicated group of volunteers who have given the museum over 15,000 hours during 2012, an increase of 3500 hours over 2011.  Based on the latest national value, this translates into over $354,000.  Aside from the monetary contribution, Michener volunteers give much more through their enthusiastic love of the region’s art.”

Congratulations to All!

Zoriana Siokalo’s Imprint

Zoriana Siokalo

Zoriana Siokalo, Director of Programs, quietly assumes her duties at the James A. Michener Art Museum without much flair, but there is another side to her.  She has had an interesting career.

Starting out as a grant writer twenty two years ago, she was hired by former Michener director/CEO Bruce Katsiff as a part time consultant.  She worked with Brian Peterson, Gerry & Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator at the Michener, on the 1990 Photography Sesquicentennial Project, a multi-faceted 150^th anniversary celebration of photography with participating institutions throughout Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The project included a lecture bureau, exhibition at Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a major conference at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Zoriana’s work at the Michener was preceded by ten years of experience, beginning in Washington D.C. where she worked at the Smithsonian Institution organizing study tours all over the world.   What an experience for a 23 year old traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico studying Mayan archeology, whale watching in Baja California, and hiking in the Alps.

With an interest in museums from the very beginning, Zoriana geared her studies in that direction, first graduating from Rutgers, N.J. followed by a master’s degree in anthropology and museum studies from George Washington University.

Along the way Zoriana set aside time for a 31 year long marriage starting in 1982 followed by two children who literally grew up at the Michener, both having a turn at youth volunteering.  Her son is currently a student at West Virginia University, and her daughter is pursuing a graduate degree at New York University and student teaching in New York.  With her mother on an extended stay in Paris, Zoriana is still globe-trotting with no relief in sight and loving it.

Zoriana enjoys working with people though the job involves its share of stress.  There are constant deadlines, docent training, adult programs, college intern programs and the Jazz Concerts which she initiated in 1996.  She has seen the Michener grow by leaps and bounds starting out with two or three staff workers when she was hired, and she has witnessed four building expansions.  Her absolute favorite program out of the 50 or so programs which she manages throughout the year is the Senior Artist Initiative, a Philadelphia based program which educates artists on the process of documenting their artwork, and produces video interviews of established artists.  With her professional training in museum studies, she was very instrumental in establishing the Michener Art Museum’s path towards accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. This is one busy lady who’s lovin’ it.  Life at the Michener is fast paced but the pressures make it even more exciting, moving time along quickly for her.

“Maybe in retirement,” which is a long way off, working with animals might be a secondary career consideration states Zoriana.  Her 13 year old rescue cat, Tiger, may have some influence in that area.  But for now, she is quite content with Museum affairs.

by Connie Wrzesniewski

Volunteer Highlight: Leslie Skilton

Leslie Skilton

As the James A. Michener Art Museum celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year, what better time is there to introduce a volunteer that has been here from the beginning?

Leslie Skilton is a dedicated volunteer that has been helping at the Michener since opening night! Leslie has helped in almost every department of the Museum and participated in countless events and activities. In 1996, she received the award for Volunteer of the Year, and in 2011, she received an award for volunteering an amazing 4000+ hours at the Michener!  Some of her first tasks included making food for opening receptions, front desk duty … which she continues to do …. and even cleaning the artwork! Leslie remembers learning how to properly clean the artwork. She recalls one specific cleaning challenge: being on top of the very large whale shaped sculpture in front of the Michener, Transition by Raymond Barger, with cleaning solvent and, as Leslie says, “rubbing for what seemed like hours.”

Leslie was also one of the first docents.  She enjoyed gaining insight into the art from the children on her tours. She was also the first volunteer to sever on the Michener Board of Trustees. She served on the board for 19 years, stepping down in 2010. During that time she was part of planning Museum galas, the various anniversary celebrations, and on the collections committee. 

Her favorite work of art at the Michener Art Museum is Daniel Garber’s The Studio Wall. She says that she loves “the colors, the shadows, and the peace that you feel looking at it”. Knowing the story behind the painting and hearing the artist’s granddaughter speak about the artist also makes it special to her.  Today, Leslie can be found greeting people at the front desk, just as she did in the early years of the Museum.  Leslie’s feelings about the museum are put best in her own words: “My favorite memory of the Michener is, and always will be the people.  Everyone involved with the Michener has added something to my life.  I have always felt that the Museum is a magnate for the best people, whether they are staff or volunteer, they are committed to making the Museum the best it can be.  Volunteering at the Museum has given me so much joy, and I hope to continue being involved for as long as I can.  I am excited to see what the next 25 years have in store.”

Thanks Leslie, you are part of why the James A. Michener Art Museum has been such a success and important part of the community for the past 25 years!

by Kaitlin Beck

Did You Know?

Thomas Hicks, Portrait of Edward Hicks, ca. 1850, oil on canvas. James A. Michener Art Museum Funds provided by Eleanor K. Denoon, The Bella S. and Benjamin H. Garb Foundation Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Gemmill, George S. Hobensack, Jr., Laurence D. Keller, William Mandel, Members of Newtown Friends Meeting, Olde Hope

Did you know that Edward Hicks was a coach and sign painter? Although Hicks is probably best known for his various versions of The Peaceable Kingdom, which are now in the collections of major museums across the country, he actually was a professional coach and sign painter. 

When Edward Hicks was a young teenager, he became an apprentice in a coach maker’s shop and learned how to mix paint, apply the lettering and decorate coaches and signs. He immediately gained notoriety as a sign painter and was able to add to his meager earnings as a Quaker preacher.  Some of the paintings he is best known for today were believed to have been given to people as gifts or in gratitude for financial assistance.

Visit the James A. Michener Art Museum to view Thomas Hicks’ Portrait of Edward Hicks (above), as well as Edward Hicks’ Penn’s Treaty with the Indians.

by Kaitlin Beck

TWO ARCHIVAL VOLUNTEERS DEFINED

Deep in the inner sanctum of the James A. Michener Art Museum where few are present other than Pam Sergey (Archives/Volunteers) and Birgitta Bond (Library), there is an unusual flurry of activity.   Two strangers, who became Michener volunteers about a year ago, have broken through the glass bottom and are making a major contribution.  Archival volunteers Phoebe Strome and Charlie Head, along with fellow archival volunteers Sue Collins, Kate Kane, Paul Kramer, Carolina Bromberg and Charlie Woodward, are busy arranging and conserving special archival collections which relate to artists in the Michener’s permanent collection, ultimately making them accessible to outside researchers. Research-rich materials include scrapbooks, personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and original artwork, along with Michener Art Museum institutional records.   

Phoebe Strome working on the William A. Smith archives at the Michener Art Museum

Phoebe  is cataloging and preserving personal papers, original sketches and photographs belonging to William A. Smith, a twentieth century painter and illustrator, originally from Toledo, Ohio.  She is very excited about her artist, who has received awards too numerous to mention.  Encouraged by woodworker, George Nakashima and author, Pearl S. Buck, Smith established a studio in Bucks County and a gallery in New Hope in the 1950s.  His work is represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Portrait Gallery (portrait of Carl Sandburg), the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Syracuse University, and here at the Michener Art Museum (portrait of George Nakashima).   Saturday Evening Post, Holiday, Harper’s Bazaar, True, McCalls and Cosmopolitan, blockbuster magazines back in the day, all claimed Smith as illustrator.  Coca Cola, Standard Oil and General Electric, giants from the past, owe Smith a debt of gratitude as they put his fine art illustrations to commercial use.  (Note the current Coca Cola/Smith archival exhibit) Several of Pearl S. Buck’s children’s books also bore the benefit of his talent as an illustrator.  The U.S. Postal Service commissioned several of Smith’s postal stamp designs including those for the Bicentennial series, and for historical figures such as Carl Sandburg (a personal friend) and Sidney Lanier.  But, Phoebe’s favorite work by William A. Smith, which she happened upon by happenstance while cataloging, would be the portrait of her own pediatrician which Smith painted during his tenure as portrait artist at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.

Charlie Head working on the Fern I. Coppedge scrapbooks in the Michener Archives

Charlie started volunteering  at the Michener during the Uffizzi Exhibit handing out headsets.  It wasn’t long before Pam Sergey swooped down on him and scooped him up for archival work.  He is busy pouring over scrapbooks and albums recounting the accomplishments of Pennsylvania Impressionist landscape painter Fern I. Coppedge, gifts of the MacNeil family who were friends of the artist.  He is also photocopying old delicate newspaper clippings to preserve their integrity, and tucking acid-free tissue between pages wherever necessary.  In general, he is getting things in order to safeguard the archival holdings of this Philadelphia Ten artist for future research.   Charlie especially likes the  multi colored hues reflected in the Coppedge snowscenes hanging in the Michener Art Museum.  Coppedge, according to one account, loved going on sleigh rides with her parents while growing up in Decatur, Illinois.  They may have motivated many of the snowscenes she painted directly from nature while wearing a bearskin coat in and around Lumberville, PA.

Aside from his archiving endeavors, Charlie volunteers at the Opera Philadelphia, Woodmere Art Museum and also sits on the Board of Directors at the Ambler Theater.  He feels that archiving balances out his mainstream life in public speaking because he can always use it for background material.

These dedicated archival volunteers have much in common.  They feel that volunteering is rewarding socially and intellectually.  They love the Michener, and their skills as former clinical researchers with pharmaceutical companies, all contribute to a pleasant work environment. 

by Connie Wrzesniewski