Butler chief Zona to give talk

Staff report

LIBERTY

Louis A. Zona, director of the Butler Institute of American Art since 1981 and the guiding hand behind the museum’s expansion, will give a presentation at 10 a.m. Saturday in the meeting room of Kravitz Deli, 3135 Belmont Ave.

Admission is $6, and reservations are suggested; call 330-726-8277. The presentation is sponsored by the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.

Zona was born and raised in New Castle, Pa., and graduated from Youngstown State University in 1966, later earning a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University.

He taught in the Sharon and New Castle schools, and joined the YSU faculty in 1971. He was elected to serve as Chairman of the art department in 1978, and received two Distinguished Professor Awards from YSU..

Zona was instrumental in the dramatic expansion of the Butler physical plant, including the west wing addition, the Andrews pavilion. The Butler created branch facilities in Salem and Howland, and acquired the former First Christian Church, now called Butler North, as an education center, performance space and Americana/Folk art gallery.

Zona received the 1990 Governor’s Award for the Arts. The Butler trustees honored him by naming the Zona Auditorium for him in 2001.

Under his stewardship, the Butler became accredited by the American Association of Museums and published the first scholarly catalog of the Butler collection, “Master Paintings from the Butler Institute of American Art,” later followed by “Masterpieces from the Butler.”

Under his directorship, the Butler’s art collection has grown dramatically and now stands at 22,000 pieces.

The Butler’s exhibition program has brought to Youngstown many of the most significant artists in American art history, including Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Robert Motherwell, Andy Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, Paul Jenkins, Will Barnet, Audrey Flack and Charles Pollack.