Biography Professor Louis Zona


Dr. Louis A. Zona has been associated with Youngstown State University since 1962 when he began his baccalaureate studies, graduating in 1966. Following his earning a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1969, Dr. Zona joined the YSU Art Department faculty. In 1973, Dr. Zona earned his doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon University and that same year introduced classes in museum studies and twentieth century art at YSU.

Dr. Zona has been the recipient of two YSU Distinguished Professor Awards, and in 1976 was elected Chairman of the YSU Art Department. In 1981, Professor Zona became Executive Director of The Butler Institute of American Art, devoting his tenure there to expanding and modernizing the facility, creating two branch museums, and bringing about professional accreditation for the Institute. During his directorship of the Butler, Dr. Zona has overseen the expansion of the museum’s collections and outreach initiatives. Under Dr. Zona’s leadership, the Beecher Center, a joint venture of the Butler and YSU focusing on art and technology, was dedicated in January, 2000.

Dr. Zona has received a number of national honors including the Gari Melchers Medal, presented in 1996 by the Artist’s Fellowship of New York City, for his outstanding contribution to American art and culture. He is the author of numerous articles on art and art history including Nassos Daphnis: Color and Form, and A Nation's Legacy: The Mid Twentieth Century in American Art. Dr. Zona is a major contributor to the recent Abrams publication Master Paintings From The Butler Institute of American Art, a catalogue of the Butler permanent collection.