Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery’s executive director is retiring after 17 years.
Lorna Johnson announced on Wednesday she plans to retire this October.
“As I became acquainted with the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG)’s collections and the history of this community, and as I worked with board members, volunteers, staff and members of the community, I developed a deep love of this community and this region,” Johnson said.
“It will be 17 years since my first day of work here. I am so grateful for everyone who has supported me over the years, and I am so grateful that the MAG is so valued by our community.”
Johnson joined the museum in 2004 as museum manager. During her tenure, she led renovations to the museum’s exhibition and office spaces in 2010, which made it possible for the MAG to host major touring exhibitions from the National Gallery, the Canadian Museum of History and Library and Archives Canada.
Lorna was project manager for the design and development of Remarkable Red Deer: Stories from the Heart of the Parkland, a permanent exhibition about Red Deer’s history to celebrate Red Deer’s 100th anniversary.
Among Johnson’s favorite projects are Walking With Our Sisters, a memorial to the missing and murdered First Nations women, Powwow! Ohciwin: the Origins, and Dave More: A Painter’s Gift.
The succession committee of the Red Deer & District Museum Society board has hired Leaders International Executive Search to recruit the next executive director.