Portfolio - Montserrat College Of Art

trustee news
The college has welcomed three new
members of the board of trustees, with
a variety of experience in education, law, and
civic engagement.
Since 1998, Miranda Gooding
has served as an attorney with
Glovsky & Glovsky in Beverly,
where she concentrates in
real estate law. She specializes
in commercial real estate
transactions, zoning, land use, and residential
conveyancing. She previously worked at
Hemenway & Barnes and Choate, Hall &
Stewart in Boston. She holds a law degree from
Boston College Law School and a Bachelor’s
Degree from Dartmouth College. She is an
active civic and community volunteer.
Farewell to
Our Friends
In June, several trustees completed their
tenures, and we wished them a fond
farewell with deep gratitude for the progress
the college saw as a result of their efforts.
"We are extremely grateful for the many
years of dedicated volunteer service of our
retiring trustees," said President Stephen
D. Immerman. "Through their perseverance,
financial support, and faith in this institution;
its faculty and administration, Montserrat
offers a first-rate arts education and an
opportunity for students to be part of an
exceptionally caring community where art is
supported and students thrive."
R. Hilliard Ebling, who served 12 years,
including two as chair, was followed in his
years of service by Stephen C. Archer. Both
also have long histories of involvement with
the college prior to their trustee service.
Archer became involved when his wife,
Kathy Gerdon Archer, first began attending
Montserrat, (she received her BFA in 2003.)
Archer remains committed as a landlord of
some of the college’s residential properties,
and an advisor on facilities planning. He
and his business partner, Michael Kersker,
also made the first property donation to the
college: two buildings on Knowlton St.; a
residential facility and a classroom. Archer’s
connections with the City of Beverly and the
business community also proved invaluable to
18
Martha Buskirk is professor
of art history and criticism
at Montserrat, where she
has taught since 1994. She is
author of The Contingent Object
of Contemporary Art (MIT Press,
2003) and is currently completing a book,
Perilous Success: Contemporary Art Between
Museum and Marketplace. She is also co-editor
of The Duchamp Effect, with Mignon Nixon
(MIT Press, 1996) and The Destruction of Tilted
Arc: Documents (MIT Press, 1990), with Clara
Weyergraf-Serra. Buskirk earned her Ph.D. in
Art History from City University of New York
Graduate Center, and has held fellowships at
the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in
2000-2001, the Clark Art Institute in 2004,
and the Henry Moore Institute in 2006.
From left are retiring trutstees Stephen C. Archer,
Dr. Beverly Shafer, R. Hilliard Ebling, Sigrid Olsen
Gina Deschamps and Charles Boyer. Not shown are
Frank Kaminski and Jon Barrett Gray
Montserrat during his trustee service.
Ebling first became involved with Montserrat
thorugh the college’s annual auction, and
has had a long family involvement with the
school. Both he and his wife, Cathy, are former
auction chairs, and their daughter, Panda,
attended Yale to study art history, continuing
the family’s involvement in the arts. Ebling,
whose background is in finance and wealth
management, was instrumental in creating
policies to take best advantage of the college’s
endowed funds.
Both Ebling and Archer saw the college
through many changes, including expansion in
enrollment, facilities and programs; to tougher
financial times; to the present where the
college is again seeing positive but measured
growth in both finances and enrollment.
Alumna Sigrid Olsen, one of the college’s
most well-known trustees with her selfbranded
clothing line, watched the college
by Jo Broderick
John Peterman is the
Headmaster of Brookwood
School, Manchester, a position
he has held since 1992. He
previously served as Head
of Middle School at the
McDonogh School, in McDonogh, Maryland
and at the Elgin Academy in Elgin, Illinois.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wittenberg
University, and earned his Master’s in
Education from Loyola University of Chicago.
He has served as a board member for several
organizations including the Association of
Independent Schools in New England (AISNE),
Wellspring House, and Esperanza Academy.
He has done extensive work on issues of
diversity and multiculturalism both regionally
and nationally.
grow programs and served as a continual
voice for strong arts education. Often in the
national limelight because of her company’s
success, Olsen was generous with her public
thanks to her alma mater for providing her the
skills which allowed her to succeed.
Former trustee Gina Deschamps, whose
expertise in printing and graphics lead to her
teaching a class at the college, served since
2007 and continues her involvement with
the institution. Auctioneer and Trustee Frank
Kaminski’s talents were put in play as both
the auctioneer and donor to Artrageous, and
as an advisor to the board on selling items to
benefit student scholarship.
Professor Charles Boyer served his most
recent term on the board during the transition
between presidents and provided a strong
voice for the faculty ensuring academics
remained a consistent priority as the board
prepared for new leadership.
Dr. Beverly Shafer, an art college alumna who
later went to medical school, understood the
needs of the students and importance of a
strong curriculum. Jon Barrett Gray, owner
of J. Barrett Realty, brought his expertise in
marketing and his connections to Montserrat
along with a co-chairing Artrageous!
President Immerman added, “The college
owes its gratitude to our departing trustees
and looks forward to working with our new
trustees to continue the strong tradition of
artists teaching artists on the North Shore.”
Martha Buskirk photo: Robert Moeller