(New York, October 31, 2019)—The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) is pleased to announce the election of art historian Elizabeth V. Warren, a trustee of the institution since 2007, as its next president of the board. Mrs. Warren, who most recently served as vice president, was voted president at the museum’s fall board meeting. Edward V. (Monty) Blanchard, Jr., who served as president from 2011 to 2019, was elected chairman. Both roles are effective immediately.
“At this important moment for the museum, I’m excited for my good friend, Liz Warren,” said Blanchard. “Liz has been an active and trusted member of the board for more than a decade, and she brings a thoughtful and pragmatic point-of-view to all museum matters. I am looking forward to continuing our work together in my new role as chairman.”
“It is a pleasure and honor to continue my work in this new leadership capacity,” said Warren. “Together with the board and the staff, I will build upon the success of my colleague Monty Blanchard. As the museum nears its sixtieth anniversary in 2021, I look forward to the future with optimism and excitement.”
Director Jason T. Busch commented, “I am delighted by the election of Elizabeth V. Warren and look forward to working ever more closely with her. Liz’s blend of vision and patience make her an ideal president and will help ensure the long-term strength of the museum that she has served so ably. I know that Liz will maintain the tradition of thoughtful board leadership that has served the museum’s audiences—local, national, and international—so well over the years.”
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About President Elizabeth V. Warren
Elizabeth V. Warren has devoted nearly four decades to the study, publishing, and curating of folk art. Warren served as American Folk Art Museum curator from 1984 to 1991, and has been a consulting curator since then. She has organized a number of critically acclaimed exhibitions for the museum, many of which have been accompanied by books, including Made in New York City: The Business of Folk Art (2019), Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts (2011), Quilts: Masterpieces from the American Folk Art Museum (2010-2011), and The Perfect Game: America Looks at Baseball (2003). In 2007, she was elected to the museum’s board of trustees. After graduating from Bryn Mawr College, she was a journalist at House Beautiful, covering the home furnishings market as well as art and antiques. While working at House Beautiful, she received an M.A. from New York University in folk art studies. Warren was formerly the president of the American Folk Art Society. She also serves on the board of trustees of Bryn Mawr College.
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About Chairman Monty Blanchard
Monty Blanchard has served on the board of the American Folk Art Museum since 2003 and was its president for eight years. He is currently a retired investor, collector, and patron of the arts. He was previously employed as a managing director at Aon Benfield Securities, Inc., a senior Advisor at Irving Place Capital, an executive vice president of strategy and acquisitions at Bankrate, Inc., and a managing director at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. He is on the board of directors of Scientific Learning Corp. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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About the American Folk Art Museum
Founded in 1961, the American Folk Art Museum is the premier institution devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of historic folk art and creative expressions of contemporary self-taught artists from the United States and abroad. Now celebrating the thirtieth anniversary in its Lincoln Square location, the museum preserves, conserves, and interprets a comprehensive collection of the highest quality, with objects dating from the eighteenth century to the present.