In 1988, with the support of many dedicated citizens, the James A. Michener Art Museum opened as an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. The Museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer and supporter of the arts who had first dreamed of a regional art museum in the early 1960's.
In November of 1999, the James A. Michener Art Museum publicly announced the largest single gift in the institution's history. Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest gave the Museum an extensive collectionof fifty-nine paintings by important regional artists of the Pennsylvania Impressionist School. The museum is now home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings.
Ensconced in the Museum's walled, lush "back yard" is an outdoor gallery, the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden. Sculptures are on view in a natural setting that pays homage to the Bucks County landscape which has inspired countless artists. The Museum hosts nationally touring special exhibitions and also showcases important regional artists.
Above: The front entrance. Right: Jo Jenks, Woman Washing Her Hair, 1954, black granite, H. 58 x W. 33 x D. 23 inches. James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift from the grandson of the artist.
The massive stone walls and warden's house that make up the core of the Michener Art Museum today began as the Bucks County prison in 1884. After a century of use, the abandoned and antiquated buildings were being torn down when the County Commissioners agreed to preserve the historic landmark and lease the land and buildings to house the new Museum. After extensive renovation, the Museum opened to the public in September, 1988. Since then, there have been two separate expansions, in 1993 and 1996, which added modern gallery space and state-of-the-art storage facilities, plus an outdoor sculpture garden completed in 2000. Today, the old Bucks County jail, once a place of fear and despair, has been transformed into a welcoming center of culture and beauty... guarding the artistic soul of Bucks County.
Biography- James A. Michener
Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Michener spent his life immersing himself in cultures and history. He then used his knowledge and experiences to create elaborate and popular epic novels, many of which have been made into feature films and television miniseries such as South Pacific (1958, based on his prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific), Sayanora (1957), and the 26-hour miniseries Centennial. Born in New York City near the turn of the century, Michener was orphaned as a young child and sent to the Bucks County Poorhouse in Doylestown, PA, until he was adopted by Quakers Edwin and Mable Michener. In 1929, Michener graduated from Swarthmore College with top honors in English. Michener spent much of his life as a teacher and did not stop until he was in his eighties. He wrote his first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, while at sea with the Navy during WWII; after it became a major critical and popular success, he spent much time living abroad and writing. Having written nearly 40 books and selling some 75 million of them, Michener became an extremely wealthy man. He was also an unusually generous man and donated tens of millions of dollars to philanthropic causes, including education. In 1996, after he gave away some 24 million dollars, he was numbered among Forbes magazine's Top 25 philanthropists. Michener died in his Austin, TX, home on October 16, 1997, after discontinuing kidney dialysis treatment. He was 90. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
1957 film nominated for 10 Academy Awards, won 4; including Best Supporting Actress, for Miyoshi Umeki the first and as of 2010, the only East Asian Actress to win an Oscar.
A T T H E M U S E U M : Who is Lassie? Lassie is a sculpture of the main character of the book, Lassie Come-Home. Lassie can be found in the Pfundt Sculpture Garden.In 1995, the Museum commissioned a bronze life-size sculpture of Lassie. Through a selection process, noted animal sculptor Eric Berg was chosen by the Museum's collections committee to create Lassie. The finished work of art was first installed in the Michener Art Museum's Sculpture Garden on April 13, 1997. About Eric BergEric Berg, renowned animal sculptor, initially studied business, earning a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1968. Upon graduation, he decided to engage his love of animals through the study of art and entered the MFA program at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his degree in 1974. Other commissions created by Eric Berg include a sea turtle installed at the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden and Massa the Gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo. "Philbert," the grandest of all piggy banks, is at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
Berg grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, attended The Hill School, then moved with his family to Allentown. Now he lives in Philadelphia, but spends several months a year at his farm in Chautauqua County, New York. He is a member of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums and an officer on the executive board of the society of Animal Artists. Berg discovered his affinity for animal sculptures as a child and as a college student gave away hand-hewn stone animal carvings as gifts. His sculptures are permanently installed at Everglades National Park, Royal Palm, Florida; the Please Touch Museum and the Museum of Natural History in Philadelphia; and Museums as far away as Colorado, Virginia, Texas and New Mexico.
Eric Berg Sculptures in Public Places around our area Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA (2010)Society Hill Synagogue, Philadelphia, PA (2010) University of Scranton, Scranton, PA (2008, 1992) Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2007) Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown,PA 2007 Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont, PA (2004) Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (2002) Transit Plaza, Borough of Pottstown, PA (2002) Schuylkill River Park, Philadelphia, PA (2002) Linton Park, Borough of Newtown, Bucks County, PA James A. Mitchener Museum of Art, Doylestown, PA (1996) Borough of State College, State College, PA (1996) Philadelphia Convention Center, Phila., PA (1995) Safeguard Scientifics, Wayne, PA (1994) New Jersey State Aquarium, Camden, NJ (1993) Friends Central School, Wynnewood The Hill School, Pottstown, PA (1990) Fitler Square, Philadelphia, PA (2) (1989) (1983) Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA (1987) Philadelphia Zoological Garden, Phila., PA (1986,1980, 1976) City Hall, Philadelphia, PA (1985) Institute of Scientific Information, Phila., PA (1984) Please Touch Museum, Phila., PA (1982) Museum of Natural History, Phila., PA (1981) Portico Place, Philadelphia, PA (1979) Palumbo Park, Philadelphia, PA (1979) Finnegan Sports Complex, Philadelphia, PA (1979) Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (1978) Schuylkill Valley Nature Center, Miquon, PA (1976)
In November of 1999, the James A. Michener Art Museum publicly announced the largest single gift in the institution's history. Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest gave the Museum an extensive collectionof fifty-nine paintings by important regional artists of the Pennsylvania Impressionist School. The museum is now home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings.
Above: The front entrance. Right: Jo Jenks, Woman Washing Her Hair, 1954, black granite, H. 58 x W. 33 x D. 23 inches. James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift from the grandson of the artist.
The massive stone walls and warden's house that make up the core of the Michener Art Museum today began as the Bucks County prison in 1884. After a century of use, the abandoned and antiquated buildings were being torn down when the County Commissioners agreed to preserve the historic landmark and lease the land and buildings to house the new Museum. After extensive renovation, the Museum opened to the public in September, 1988. Since then, there have been two separate expansions, in 1993 and 1996, which added modern gallery space and state-of-the-art storage facilities, plus an outdoor sculpture garden completed in 2000. Today, the old Bucks County jail, once a place of fear and despair, has been transformed into a welcoming center of culture and beauty... guarding the artistic soul of Bucks County.
Biography- James A. Michener
Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Michener spent his life immersing himself in cultures and history. He then used his knowledge and experiences to create elaborate and popular epic novels, many of which have been made into feature films and television miniseries such as South Pacific (1958, based on his prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific), Sayanora (1957), and the 26-hour miniseries Centennial. Born in New York City near the turn of the century, Michener was orphaned as a young child and sent to the Bucks County Poorhouse in Doylestown, PA, until he was adopted by Quakers Edwin and Mable Michener. In 1929, Michener graduated from Swarthmore College with top honors in English. Michener spent much of his life as a teacher and did not stop until he was in his eighties. He wrote his first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, while at sea with the Navy during WWII; after it became a major critical and popular success, he spent much time living abroad and writing. Having written nearly 40 books and selling some 75 million of them, Michener became an extremely wealthy man. He was also an unusually generous man and donated tens of millions of dollars to philanthropic causes, including education. In 1996, after he gave away some 24 million dollars, he was numbered among Forbes magazine's Top 25 philanthropists. Michener died in his Austin, TX, home on October 16, 1997, after discontinuing kidney dialysis treatment. He was 90. ~ Sandra Brennan, RoviBooks — fiction
Books — non-fiction
Adaptations
Who is Lassie?
Lassie is a sculpture of the main character of the book, Lassie Come-Home. Lassie can be found in the Pfundt Sculpture Garden.In 1995, the Museum commissioned a bronze life-size sculpture of Lassie. Through a selection process, noted animal sculptor Eric Berg was chosen by the Museum's collections committee to create Lassie. The finished work of art was first installed in the Michener Art Museum's Sculpture Garden on April 13, 1997.
About Eric BergEric Berg, renowned animal sculptor, initially studied business, earning a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1968. Upon graduation, he decided to engage his love of animals through the study of art and entered the MFA program at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his degree in 1974.
Other commissions created by Eric Berg include a sea turtle installed at the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden and Massa the Gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo. "Philbert," the grandest of all piggy banks, is at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
Berg discovered his affinity for animal sculptures as a child and as a college student gave away hand-hewn stone animal carvings as gifts. His sculptures are permanently installed at Everglades National Park, Royal Palm, Florida; the Please Touch Museum and the Museum of Natural History in Philadelphia; and Museums as far away as Colorado, Virginia, Texas and New Mexico.
Eric Berg Sculptures in Public Places around our area
Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA (2010)Society Hill Synagogue, Philadelphia, PA (2010)
University of Scranton, Scranton, PA (2008, 1992)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2007)
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown,PA 2007
Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont, PA (2004)
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (2002)
Transit Plaza, Borough of Pottstown, PA (2002)
Schuylkill River Park, Philadelphia, PA (2002)
Linton Park, Borough of Newtown, Bucks County, PA
James A. Mitchener Museum of Art, Doylestown, PA (1996)
Borough of State College, State College, PA (1996)
Philadelphia Convention Center, Phila., PA (1995)
Safeguard Scientifics, Wayne, PA (1994)
New Jersey State Aquarium, Camden, NJ (1993)
Friends Central School, Wynnewood
The Hill School, Pottstown, PA (1990)
Fitler Square, Philadelphia, PA (2) (1989) (1983)
Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA (1987)
Philadelphia Zoological Garden, Phila., PA (1986,1980, 1976)
City Hall, Philadelphia, PA (1985)
Institute of Scientific Information, Phila., PA (1984)
Please Touch Museum, Phila., PA (1982)
Museum of Natural History, Phila., PA (1981)
Portico Place, Philadelphia, PA (1979)
Palumbo Park, Philadelphia, PA (1979)
Finnegan Sports Complex, Philadelphia, PA (1979)
Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (1978)
Schuylkill Valley Nature Center, Miquon, PA (1976)
Eric Berg - Sculpture
Information on Eric Knight the author
imdb for Lassie