In 1988, the James A. Michener Art Museum opened as an independent, cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. The Museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer and supporter of the arts who had first dreamed of a regional art museum in the early 1960s. In addition to hosting nationally touring special exhibitions and showcasing important regional artists, the Museum is home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings. The Museum is housed in what began as the Bucks County prison, once a place of fear and despair; today the site has been transformed into a welcoming center of culture and beauty . . .guarding the artistic soul of Bucks County.