From County Jail To Art Museum: Michener To Unveil New Work Telling It's Story

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Michener Art Museum is marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a newly commissioned work by Philadelphia artist Roberto Lugo. "Permanence: We Were Here," a monumental ceramic vessel that encapsulates the Michener’s site history as a county jail, will be unveiled to the public on Friday, June 5.

The opportunity to introduce a site-specific work for the museum by one of the region’s most prominent artists is thanks to the support of Pennsylvania state senator Steve Santarsiero. The grant was awarded through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

Lugo’s four-foot-tall vessel reflects the transformation of the 1884 Bucks County Jail into a celebrated, regional art museum, which opened at the same location in 1988.

“We are thrilled to unveil the artwork commissioned by Roberto Lugo for Michener Art Museum,” Executive Director Anne Corso said. “The piece 'Permanence: We Were Here' is timely as we honor our nation’s semiquincentennial, reflect on the history of our site as the former Bucks County Jail, and celebrate the role of contemporary craft in our collection—with a nationally recognized artist who makes his home here in the Delaware Valley.”

The lidded storage jar is created in a combined color and black- and red-figure style of ancient Greece and Rome. "Permanence: We Were Here" features Michener’s distinctive architecture, with references to the original stone walls of the jail. A vibrantly colored narrative at the top of the work incorporates drawings from the Pine Street Express, a magazine published by people who were incarcerated at the jail in the 1970’s as part of a writing program facilitated by Vita Education Services.

“Art can be a pathway to new beginnings,” said Laura Igoe, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator. “This piece speaks about overcoming systems of oppression while acknowledging and honoring the people who were incarcerated here.”

The ceramic work will be displayed as part of the Michener’s permanent collection, allowing the museum to bring an artistic perspective on the building’s history into its galleries. It builds on "Behind These Walls: Reckoning with Incarceration," a multi-year initiative supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage that explores the Museum’s former life as a jail. The commission was inspired based on insights from a community advisory committee, convened by the Michener as part of "Behind These Walls," that expressed an interest in presenting more about the site’s history through art.

The unveiling coincides with the final growing season for "The Short Line," a garden installation by the New Orleans-based multidisciplinary artist jackie sumell. The garden bed traces the footprint of three original cells from the Bucks County Jail and is on view as part of the Michener’s outdoor sculpture garden until the fall. The site-specific work was planted in the spring of 2025 as the culminating installation for "Behind These Walls."

"Permanence: We Were Here" invites visitors to reflect on the museum’s history and future on an important national anniversary. “One of the things that is really important in my work is telling the full history, the scope of the American experience, especially with the 250th anniversary of America,” artist Roberto Lugo said. “So much of history is told from certain lenses and perspectives that don’t really tell everybody’s full truth. For me, this commission is profound because it’s telling a truth, uncovering history.”

The artwork joins pieces by contemporary ceramicists like William Daley, Toshiko Takaezu, Lisa Naples, and Syd Carpenter in the Michener’s permanent collection. Its commission demonstrates the Museum’s dedication to collecting and exhibiting significant contemporary art and craft from the region

Unveiling Day for Permanence: We Were Here

• Friday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Free for Members / Included with general admission

• Permanence: We Were Here by Roberto Lugo is commissioned with a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development, awarded by Senator Steven Santarsiero.

The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown 18901. Hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.