Johnson Collection welcomes distinguished NYC museum leaders on Feb. 4
January 26, 2016
SPARTANBURG, SC – The Johnson Collection presents “Voices in American Art,” an educational series designed to engage campus and community audiences alike on the subject of fine art in America. The third installment, scheduled for February 4, 2016, will feature Jane Panetta, Associate Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Jan Postma, a Spartanburg native and Chief Financial Officer of the Museum of Modern Art. Ms. Panetta and Mr. Postma will deliver a keynote address titled “Making Collections Matter” on Thursday evening, February 4. To be held at the Chapman Cultural Center Theater, the 7:00 p.m. lecture is free and open to the public. Their joint presentation will explore the idea of a museum collection, different approaches to collecting both 
historically and today, and the myriad of ways in which museum collections are used to create a powerful impact. Drawing both on their own experiences and other examples, they hope to engender an active dialogue around the importance of art and art collections, a subject that is particularly relevant for the burgeoning art resources in Spartanburg.
The event represents a homecoming of sorts for Postma and his wife, Ms. Panetta. A 1995 graduate of Spartanburg High School, JanPostma has been with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) since 2001 and was named Chief Financial Officer in 2008. Prior to joining MoMA, Mr. Postma worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. He received an M.B.A. as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School and a B.A. degree in economics summa cum laude from Williams College. Mr. Postma is currently pursuing an M.A. in Art History at Hunter College. Jane Panetta joined the Whitney Museum of Art’s curatorial department in 2010 and has been promoted several times, most recently to Associate Curator in 2015. She served on the curatorial team for America is Hard to See (2015), the inaugural exhibition in the Whitney’s new building. Panetta also co-curated Signs and Symbols (2012) and worked closely on Robert Irwin, Scrim Veil – Black Rectangle – Natural Light (2013). Prior to joining the Whitney, Panetta spent five years in MoMA’s Painting and Sculpture 
Department. Panetta holds a B.A. in History from Haverford College and an M.A. in Art History from Hunter College. On Thursday, February 4 at 3:00 p.m. at TJC Gallery (154 West Main Street), Postma and Panetta will offer an informal master class for local students interested in careers in the arts.
About The Johnson Collection
Established in 2002 by Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr., the Johnson Collection has grown to encompass over 1,000 fine art objects that chronicle the cultural evolution of the American South. In 2014, a feature article in The Magazine Antiques lauded the Johnson Collection for “having staged a quiet art historical revolution. Through exhibitions, loans, publications, and institutional partnerships, the collection has redefined, elevated, and greatly expanded the meaning of regional.” For more information about this event or the Johnson Collection’s other initiatives, please visit www.thejohnsoncollection.org.
