Tracy Johnson appointed at Hockaday Museum

Johnson hails from British Columbia

Tracy Johnson has accepted the position of Executive Director at the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell.

Harry Wilson, Hockaday Board President, says "Tracy, with her strong museum experience, education, and drive, will continue to raise the profile of the Hockaday as an expanding regional museum and ensure continuity of programming for the Museum's members, artists, and guests."

 Tracy shares "I have some ideas in mind that will bring the Museum more to the community, to the people that support us in our mission, and to those that may not have an opportunity to learn about art. I believe art can be for everyone."

Johnson began her love of art and culture early in life, growing up in a family-owned art gallery and visiting museums and historic sites as a child, through her studies in Archaeology, Liberal Arts, and Cultural Resource Management, and from holding numerous professional positions in the Heritage sector.

About Tracy Johnson

 Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University, and performed archaeological fieldwork throughout the southern interior of British Columbia for six years, collaborating with Native American groups, government organizations and private sector clients. The 'down time' of winters led her into the world of artifact collections care and her decision to complete graduate studies in Cultural Resource Management with a specialization in museums.

From 2006 to 2011, Tracy proudly served as the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon where she cared for Native American and early pioneer objects, archival records, photographs, and historical and contemporary Western art. She served as lead curator for a number of exhibits, such as Art Through Ancestry, and managing the Museum's Changing Exhibits program.

 Tracy became the Oliver and District Heritage Society's Community Heritage Manager in 2012, overseeing a community archives and historic building museum in Oliver, BC. Her biggest achievement was a complex federal grant allowing the complete renovation of the museum's interior while preserving the historic characteristics of the building.

Tracy has continued to advance professionally through numerous workshops and conferences, always looking at ways to improve museums' ethics and standards. She is a current member of the American Alliance of Museums and the Canadian Museums Association.

Johnson said the Hockaday Museum has "a great team in place and they are ready to get to work." The kindness and generosity of everyone that she has met has impressed her and she states that the Flathead will be "a great place to raise our family and become part of a community."