Dr. Louis Zona to Present Lecture at Thiel College

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Dr. Louis Zona, executive director of the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, will present "300 Years of American Art" at Thiel College on March 27 at 7 p.m. in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Zona has led the Butler since 1981, working to expand its original collection, adding to the  museum’s historic and contemporary holdings while conserving its most important historic work. The museum’s physical size also has more than doubled under Zona’s leadership. Zona is professor of art history emeritus at Youngstown State University, where he began teaching in 1970.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from YSU, a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a frequent author on art and art history and a recipient of the Gari Melcher’s Medal, awarded to Americans who have significantly contributed to American culture, as well as the Ohio Governor’s Award for Arts Administration and the Butler Medal for Life Achievement in American Art.

Founded in 1919, the Butler is the first structure in the United States built specifically to house a collection of American art.