backstory Blog


Okay, yes, I know I said the last one was the last one. But I do have one more message, a bittersweet one: after twenty-two years of service to the Neuberger and to SUNY Purchase, I have decided to retire from SUNY and my positions as director of the Neuberger and as an associate professor in Art History.
It’s a long one …
So… this is the 350thbackstory I’ve written. With breaks along the way, that’s somewhere between seven and eight years of backstories. It’s a lot!
I’ve had a lot of mentors in my life. Average ones, less than average ones, and really above average ones. I hope you’ve also had some really above average ones. Those really above average ones, for me, have come mostly in the form of what I would describe as “tenacious mama bears”— the TMBs. One of my TMBs, who I’d like to talk about today is Joan Marter.
After an incredible forty-nine years—I told Lois we could just round up to fifty—so FIFTY YEARS of service to the Museum, Volunteer Museum Educator Lois Bregstein has decided to retire from the VME program.