Stark Museum of Art

Who We Are

Administration

Nelson Thomas holds a BA in biology with an art minor from Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH, and a MTSC (Masters in Technical and Scientific Communication) with an emphasis in environmental science from Miami University, Oxford, OH. She attended the 38th Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA) at Colonial Williamsburg, VA, and was the first recipient of the William T. Alderson Scholarship for the Seminar. She is in the 2016 Leadership Southeast Texas (LSET) class. Nelson Thomas has twenty-five plus years of experience in informal education and the museum field. Prior to joining the Stark Foundation in May 2013, she was Senior Director, Public Programs at the Indiana Historical Society for fifteen years. Previously she worked at the Outagamie County Historical Society in Appleton, WI, and the Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District in Lima, OH. Her career has focused on interpretive planning; exhibition, program, and experience development; community collaboration and engagement; strategic planning; and evaluation. During her time in Indiana, she served on the SHA partners coordinating committee and as SHA faculty. She is the current AASLH (American Association for State and Local History) national Leadership in History Awards committee chair and a participant in the national Museum Directors Roundtable. Nelson Thomas leads the operations and oversees the administrative, educational, curatorial, collections, exhibitions, and library & archive professional staff of the Stark Museum of Art, The W.H. Stark House, and the Stark Foundation Library & Archive in support of the mission of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.“I come from a family of avid and curious life-long learners, readers, and explorers. My passion is connecting people with ideas, stuff, and experiences so they can go on and do the same.”

Collections & Exhibitions

Boehme holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, NY and an MA and PhD in history of art from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, PA.Dr. Boehme served as the John S. Bugas Curator, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. She previously was instructor of fine arts and curator at St. Lawrence University. She is co-editor and a co-author of the award-winning publication Branding the American West: Paintings and Films, 1900-1950. Other publications include contributions in Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonné II; Shaping the West : American Sculptors in the Nineteenth Century; In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein; Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney; John James Audubon in the West: The Last Expedition: Mammals of North America; Powerful Images: Portrayals of Native America; Seth Eastman: A Portfolio of North American Indians; and Frontier America: Art and Treasures of the Old West from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. She is the author of exhibition catalogues Whitney Gallery of Western Art; Absarokee Hut: The Joseph Henry Sharp Cabin; Buckeye Blake: Art on the Western Front; and Rendezvous to Roundup: The First 100 Years of Art in Wyoming.The curator is responsible for care and curation of the Stark Museum of Art collection. The primary responsibility of the curator is for exhibitions and publications research and content to encourage awareness and appreciation for the collections.“I knew the wild riders and the vacant land were about to vanish forever, and the more I considered the subject the bigger the Forever loomed.” Frederic Remington

Ryan holds a BA from Flagler College in St. Augustine,FL and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Miami, in Miami, FL. Ryan comes to the Stark Museum of Art from the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami in Coral Gables Florida where he was the Senior Preparator. While in Miami Ryan also taught as an adjunct instructor at both the University of Miami and Broward College all while maintaining an active exhibition schedule of his own artworks. He also worked for Museo Vault, the leading art logistics company in South Florida where he was a lead installer and crate builder. As the Exhibitions and Collections Manager Ryan is responsible for designing and managing the exhibitions for the rotating and permanent galleries as well as caring for the collections at both the Art Museum and the WH Stark House.

Education

  • Jennifer Restauri Dickinson
  • Director, Education
  • jrestauri@starkmuseum.org
  • 409.886.2787 ext 3017 (Education Dept. – 409.221.6685)
Restauri holds an AA, BFA in studio art from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, AL, and an MA in museum studies from Baylor University in Waco, TX. Restauri began her career in 2012 as the Outreach Coordinator at the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX. She oversaw the art-to-go program which served 1,000+ students monthly in a fifty-mile radius. In May 2013, Restauri joined the Stark Museum of Art as the Educator, Studio and Family Programs, and oversaw the development of all studio programming and lead initiatives to grow family and young adult programming. In January 2015, she accepted the Curator of Education position. As the Curator of Education, Restauri leads the education department and works closely with colleagues at the other Stark Cultural Venues to provide innovative and engaging programs for students, families, adults, teachers, and Stark Cultural Venue members. Her job is to find new and meaningful ways to connect visitors to the works of art on view, as well as to serve as an advocate for arts and cultural education in Southeast Texas.“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” Georgia O’Keeffe

Volunteer & Operations

Danielson holds a BA in history and art history from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX and is currently enrolled in an online MA in museum studies program through Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Danielson began her career in May 2017 as Program Coordinator for The Arc of Greater Beaumont, a non-profit that provides social and recreational opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She created and facilitated a weekly art program, planned special events, and oversaw all monthly activities for the organization. Within the scope of this position, Danielson managed all volunteers for The Arc’s programs, fundraisers, and outreach efforts. Danielson joined the Stark Art & History Venues in August 2018 as Volunteer & Operations Coordinator. Her job is to create and manage a formal volunteer program for The W.H. Stark House, Stark Museum of Art, and Eunice R. Benckenstein Library & Archive in support of the mission of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” Vincent van Gogh