About Us

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Co-Founder & Head Curator

Member, Board of Directors

Wilson Schünemann has been obsessed with guitars and other stringed instruments as long as he can remember. When he walked into the Museum of Fine Arts exhibit “Dangerous Curves: Art of the Guitar” 26 years ago, he was profoundly inspired to someday create a physical place to gather these works of art and craftmanship for the public to enjoy. 

Through his experience working with luthiers to curate and produce a series of public exhibitions at guitar showcases and major art centers (from New England to Washington State), his dream began to transform into a plan to create a museum to highlight the guitar as both musical instrument and art, as well as to create a deeper understanding of the artisanal craftmanship behind these gems. 

At last, the Guitar Museum of New England is materializing into the ultimate experience of all of that makes guitars the most popular instrument in the world.

Wilson is a graduate in Audio Engineering from the New England Art Institute. He is a member of The American Musical Instrument Society (AMIS), the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL), and the Association of String Instrument Artisans. His writing and guitars have been featured in the quarterly journal of the GAL, Vintage Guitar, Premier Guitar, Guitar Aficionado, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Magazine (Japan), and others. Wilson speaks three languages – and loves to practice them with new guitar friends around the world.

Co-Founder & CEO

Member, Board of Directors

Jennifer Schünemann is a publisher, mentor, and serial entrepreneur, having launcher her first company at age 32.

Jennifer is a deeply active member of her beloved community in Concord, MA. She is co-founder of Discover Concord magazine, has restored three homes in the town, was a founding Chair of the Economic Vitality Committee, and is a past Board member of The Umbrella Arts Center. She is President of the Rhode Island chapter of Commanderie de Bordeaux and a Director on the US Board of Governors.

She holds a dual BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and has studied and lived abroad in Paris, France, where she attended the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po). She still can't believe she gets to live every day in a world of art, wine, music, and culture. Helping to build the Guitar Museum of New England is a fantastic challenge and an enormous honor.

Treasurer

Member Board of Directors

 For twenty years Ken Jackman has run a boutique investment bank that works exclusively with privately held Entrepreneurial Owner Operator companies. His expertise is in structuring deals that resonate with much larger acquirors to bring high-performing companies to market in a way that consistently unlocks their highest potential valuation. 

As an active entrepreneur across a wide range of industries, there is rarely a moment when he isn’t readying a new idea to launch next and never a shortage of great stories along the way. 

Ken graduated with honors from Tufts University with a BA in International Relations and an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards, including as board chair of the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport for four years.

Member, Board of Advisors

Fredrik Fagerlund is the founder and CEO of Guitars - The Museum (Svenska Gitarrmuseet AB) in Umeå, Sweden, home of one of the world’s finest vintage guitar collections, which includes a Gibson Les Paul Sunburst and Switchmaster, a 1950 Fender Broadcaster (similar previously owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour), a 1954 Fender Stratocaster and two Gibson Flying Vs and comprises over 500 pieces in total. The collection is the result of more than 40 years of careful curation by twin brothers Samuel and Mikael Ahden.

The Guitar Museum of New England is thrilled to be able to tap into Fredrik’s experience building and expanding such a directly relevant museum. He is looking forward to supporting the Guitar Museum of New England’s work to develop tourism, merchandise, corporate sponsorship and the art of storytelling (curation, guided tours, films, graphics, etc.). When not sharing the joy of guitars with the world, Fredrik is a Quizmaster of trivia in and around Stockholm.

Member, Board of Advisors

A lifelong musician, Gordon French has been active in the boutique and vintage guitar world for more than 25 years. During a 20-year stint at the famed guitar store Rudy’s Music in NYC, he worked in every facet of the business, eventually managing the Soho flagship store. He was active in the publication of the book “Archtop Guitars: The Journey from Cremona to New York,” and the subsequent show it inspired at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In his current role as Business Development Manager at TKL Products, Gordon works with luthiers and collectors to design heirloom-quality cases for their instruments. 

Member, Board of Advisors

Stewart David Ikeda is a senior creative strategy consultant with more than 25 years of experience supporting arts, cultural, and mission-driven organizations at moments of growth, transition, and opportunity. He has held senior leadership roles across arts organizations, higher education, nonprofit media, tourism, publishing, and municipal commissions, and currently consults to a number of regional cultural organizations.

Stewart brings a systems-level approach to creative strategy, integrating narrative development, audience and community engagement, and board- and executive-level communications. He currently maintains at least nine electric, acoustic and bass guitars, and ukuleles.

Member, Board of Advisors

Buzz Knight is a media expert and innovator with decades of experience in the broadcast industry. He is the founder of Buzz Knight Media Production which focuses on the Fine Art of Storytelling with four podcasts that are all part of The Iheart Podcast Network : Takin A Walk, Music Saved Me, Comedy Saved Me, and Takin A Walk Nashville.
 

Before launching his own content company, Buzz was the EVP of Strategy and Innovation for Beasley Media Group. He has a proven track record of driving revenue growth, market share gains, and industry recognition for various media companies, including CBS and Greater Media. He started his career as an on-air personality and program director, elevating several radio stations to top performance levels. He is a sought-after speaker, contributor, and advisor in the media industry.

Member, Board of Advisors

Emily Kunze is an accomplished leader whose career spans international business, social impact, and education. With experience in the United States and across Europe, Emily brings a global perspective to strategy, organizational development, and mission-driven innovation. She began her career in banking in New York and London before managing Finaves, a Barcelona-based start-up investment fund, for nearly a decade. She later founded Fundación Diverse, a nonprofit dedicated to early-intervention literacy programs for children in underserved communities, which created the first phonetic reading program in the Catalan language.

A committed advocate for community engagement, Emily has held advisory and governance roles across multiple sectors, including service as Board Chair of the Benjamin Franklin International School and as an advisor to Oxfam Spain and the UK. She is currently a Trustee of Riverview School and a partner of the Via Art Foundation, reflecting her passion for both education and the arts.

Member, Board of Advisors

Darcy Kuronen worked with the collection of musical instruments at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from 1986 to 2020 and continues to serve as volunteer curator for the historical instrument collection belonging to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 

In 2000 he organized the critically acclaimed exhibition Dangerous Curves: Art of the Guitar, celebrating the diversity of guitar design over the past four centuries with 130 rare instruments from public and private collections. 

He is a recipient of the Frances Densmore Prize and the Curts Sachs Award from the American Musical Instrument Society, as well an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of South Dakota. A specialist in early American instruments, Kuronen has written several articles and lectured widely on this subject.

Member, Board of Advisors

Rebecca Migdal is the Executive Director of the Thoreau Alliance, the nonprofit that stewards both Thoreau Farm, the birthplace of Henry David Thoreau, and the Thoreau Society, the international community dedicated to Thoreau Studies. 

She has more than twenty years of museum experience, much of which was spent as an independent museum professional specializing in collections research, exhibition planning, and interpretive writing. Her book, Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020), provides a soup-to-nuts guide for navigating mission-driven work on a contract basis.

A graduate of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, Rebecca also holds a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware. She serves on the Waltham Historical Commission in Waltham, MA; on the board of the Friends of Stonehurst, the Robert Treat Paine Estate, a National Historic Landmark; and, previously, chaired a Professional Affinity Group for the New England Museum Association. 

Member, Board of Advisors

With a truly unique range of skills that include sharp business acumen and deeply creative art and design, Nancy Traversy is Co-Founder and CEO of Barefoot Books, an award-winning, independent, women-owned and run, children’s publisher based in Concord, MA. 

In 2017, they were named by Forbes as one of the 25 Best Small Companies in America. Barefoot’s books represent a vast array of cultures and perspectives, while also providing children of all backgrounds a mirror of their own experiences. Nancy works with talented writers, storytellers, illustrators and musicians from all over the globe to create more 1000 books over three decades - gifts that open children’s hearts and minds. Nancy also serves on the Board of The Umbrella Arts Center, on the Board of Trustees of the Concord Museum. She is a graduate of Queen’s University. Her proudest accomplishment is to have put nearly 40 million books into the hands of children around the world.