Jersey City Museum Names New Executive Director

Sept. 9, 2009 - PRLog -- The Board of Trustees of the Jersey City Museum, Hudson County’s premier arts and cultural institution, announced today that Laurene Buckley, Ph.D. has been appointed Executive Director of the museum beginning October 1, 2009.  

Dr. Buckley brings over 20 years of leadership experience at museums throughout the northeast, including the Tyler Art Gallery, SUNY Oswego; the Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University; the Queens Museum of Art; and the New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut.  She began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and later served as Chief Curator of the Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester.

“The vibrancy and energy of Jersey City and Hudson County are contagious,” Dr. Buckley noted.  “I’m looking forward to learning even more about the region’s cultural richness and diversity.  I’m particularly impressed with the high regard that the community holds for the museum, and I will work diligently to maintain, and to grow, our reputation for excellence and public service.  Grassroots support is the ultimate measure of the success of any institution, and I plan to hit the ground running in order to meet all of the museum’s friends and neighbors and to learn how we can continue to best serve their needs.  It’s a privilege to be working in a community that truly values the arts. I can promise our visitors that they will continue to see a flourishing center of artistic activity at the Jersey City Museum.”

Dr. Buckley holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the Graduate School of CUNY; a masters degree from City College, CUNY; and a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. She is a graduate of the Getty Institute Museum Management Program, and has served for many years as a peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums.  

Dr. Buckley is also a scholar of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art and has written extensively on artistic subjects ranging from the Colonial era through the present day.  She is currently writing a monograph on the American Impressionist Theodore Wendel. For the last seven years, along with her museum directorships, she has been teaching courses in museum studies, contemporary museum issues, and Latin American art.  

Dr. Buckley succeeds Marion Grzesiak who left the top staff position in April 2009 after seven years as Executive Director.

For inquiries and interview requests, please contact Rita Salpietro, Communications Manager, at 201-413-0303 x. 144, or rsalpietro@jerseycitymuseum.org.

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Founded in 1901, the Jersey City Museum is the major presenter of contemporary art serving the people of Jersey City, Hudson County and the region. The museum organizes many group and solo exhibitions every year, featuring works by culturally diverse, contemporary artists and from its 10,000-piece collection of regional significant art and historical objects. Through exhibitions, educational initiatives and programs, the museum welcomes over 25,000 visitors each year, including 11,000 school-aged children and youth.