The Founding of the Museum Service Council

The Museum Service Council, our cohort of Volunteer Museum Educators, tours around 2,200 visitors to the Neuberger Museum of Art each year. They are the reason our Adult Tours, NEU Kids Program, and School Field Trips happen and one of the reasons children get exceptional and unique art educational experiences that they would not otherwise have access to. They have been providing an invaluable resource to our community for 50 years and it is a true honor to be a part of honoring Lois for the Neuberger’s 50th anniversary.

To understand the origin of the Museum Service Council, I first had to discover how the Neuberger’s Education department formed. While tracing back its history, I kept seeing the same name: Jackie Sheinberg. Jackie, a Neuberger devotee, created the Education department in 1973 as a volunteer. At the time, it was called the Community Outreach office. She would go on to be employed by the Museum as the director of education.

Simultaneously, a large and energetic volunteer group became core to the Museum: forming the programs we have today, running events, fundraising, hosting galas, boosting membership, and touring adults and school-aged children.

In 1977, Lois Bregstein began her work as a volunteer; she has been one of the foundations of the Museum Service Council (MSC) for 47 years. I dearly value her as part of our team and program. She has contributed to the Museum in so many ways: as president of the MSC, as a member of the Board of the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art (1992-2005), and in her work with the Education department training almost every Volunteer Museum Educator. If I don’t know the Education department institutional knowledge, Lois will comb through her personal files and pull out a nicely hand-written scripted note or some wonderful research about an artist or specific work.

Lois has seen the full evolution of not only the Education department, but also of the Museum. She recalls her fondest memories being Monday lectures given by acclaimed American art critic Professor Irving Sandler (NMA Director 1977-1978) and artist Cleve Gray. In fact, she saw the first time Threnody was ever installed in 1974. (If you’ve never seen Threnody, you’re in luck: it’s on view now!) 

The MSC has been providing an invaluable resource to our community for 50 years and it is a true honor to be a part of honoring Lois for the Neuberger’s 50th anniversary.

Diana Puglisi 
Curator of Education
Neuberger Museum of Art