Palmer Museum welcomes two pivotal new staff members

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Palmer Museum of Art has announced the addition of two new staff members effective April 1. 

Exhibition designer Eva Thornton is joining the Palmer staff as chief preparator having recently served as director of exhibitions at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg. She recently completed a master of fine arts in creative technologies at Virginia Tech, which was preceded by 11 years of curatorial and design experience at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia.

Thornton brings a research-based, multidisciplinary approach to exhibition design, installation, and collections care. 

“It is my belief that the burgeoning use of creative technologies and digital fabrication helps us adapt and streamline safe art handling and installation practices,” she said. “My diverse areas of expertise emphasize the value of cross-disciplinary efforts to create exhibitions that are accessible and inviting to the public yet maintain the highest standards of safety for art objects.” 

Bronwyn Flemming is moving from her part-time role as a museum guide and visitor services associate into the full-time position of educator for public programs. Flemming completed a master’s degree in museum education at the University of Glasgow, with research focused on museum accessibility for autistic young people and adults. Her professional experience in museums includes developing programs and support materials such as visual guides and sensory kits and managing a program for “under 5s” preschoolers featuring stories, crafts, and opportunities for social play. 

In her new role, Flemming will focus on serving new family and community audiences throughout the central Pennsylvania region, developing partnerships with community organizations, and managing the Palmer Ambassadors volunteer program. 

“As a tour guide and VSA, I have met so many wonderful people and come to understand and feel a part of the State College Community,” she said. “I look forward to creating and helping with programs that will engage diverse audiences, making art even more accessible and meaningful for everyone.”

“Both of these new Palmer staff members are dedicated to the Palmer’s commitment to making our programs more accessible and welcoming to a broader audience,” said interim director Joyce Robinson. “Eva brings considerable expertise in exhibition design, lighting direction, and installation crew management to the position of chief preparator, and Bronwyn brings notable experience working with a diverse range of constituents to her new role.”  

About the Palmer Museum of Art 

The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is the largest art museum collection between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and the most significant academic art museum in the state of Pennsylvania. A key element of Penn State’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service, the museum is a vital and accessible cultural resource for Penn State’s students, faculty, and scholars, as well as for all visitors to and from the entire central Pennsylvania region. Through its world-class objects, programs and outreach, the free museum is a welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant forum for authentic arts experiences and cultivates meaningful dialogue about today’s most potent ideas and pressing concerns. 
 
An expansive 21st-century teaching museum, the Palmer Museum of Art is a beacon for advancing the arts and humanities on Penn State’s University Park campus and throughout its diverse communities. The Palmer is dedicated to catalyzing groundbreaking research, scholarship and publications and providing impactful, object-based learning for Penn State and K-12 students. The Palmer’s rewarding and thought-provoking exhibitions and programs promote visitor participation, belonging and discovery. In January, the Palmer was voted one of ten winners in the national USA Today 10 Best contest for Best New Museums of 2025.