New director comes to Latrobe Art Center from job at Bushy Run

There’s a debate in business circles on whether it’s good or bad to be the first to interview for a job, but being number one worked for Michael Tusay — the new executive director at Latrobe Art Center.

“He was actually our first in-person interview,” board member Katie Miller said. “The moment the interview concluded, we looked around the room, and every person said, ‘I love him.’”

That’s not to say he didn’t have competition, she added.

“We were blessed to have so many wonderful, truly capable candidates for the position,” she said. “Our gut feeling was that he was a fantastic fit for us. We felt he could connect with anyone, artists who have been there for years, new artists, patrons, a young demographic and our volunteers.

“He has a good bit of experience with the leadership of volunteers from his time at Bushy Run,” she added.

Tusay, 27, comes to the art center from his previous position as museum coordinator at Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township, where he worked since April 2018.

He lives in Irwin with his wife, Kylee Tusay, and their chow chow puppy, Milo.

A Norwin High School graduate, he has a bachelor’s degree in history and archaeology from Lycoming College and a master’s degree in history and public history from Duquesne University.

“I’ve been jumping between the art and history worlds,” Tusay said. “Through all of my studies and professional experience, I’ve worked mostly in museums and mostly in art museums.”

His previous experience includes a conservation internship at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, work as an art handler at The Frick Pittsburgh and a paid internship at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo.

Tusay said he met the art center’s previous executive director, Lauren Koker, when she volunteered at Bushy Run.

“It came up in conversation that she was moving on, and I thought it was a good fit for me,” he said. Koker is executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.

In his third week on the job, Tusay said he brings a strong interest in event planning, programming and community outreach to the center.

He is “getting the hang of things” and working on a list of ideas for events and initiatives.

“I’m trying to recognize areas where we have room to grow and build on a foundation that is so well established,” he said. “When the pandemic restrictions get lifted, we can really get going.”

In the meantime, “we are open for business,” assistant director Joe Bellack said. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays. Ricolita’s Cafe inside the center also is open during the weekday hours.

Artwork on the gallery walls has just been changed out, as it is every two months, Bellack said.

Some small in-person classes are being offered, and the center is going ahead with plans for the annual open show in May, joint show with Greensburg Art Center in July and Mister Fred Rogers Fine Arts Juried Exhibition in September, he added.