A transformative $2 million gift from longtime Chrysler Museum supporter and former curator Brooks Johnson will establish an endowed Curator of Photography position at the Chrysler Museum of Art. The newly created Germaine Clair and Brooks Johnson Curator of Photography will ensure the continued growth, care, and visibility of the Museum’s photography collection.
The endowment honors Johnson’s late wife, Germaine Clair, who was an active member of Hampton Roads’ creative community known for her warmth, generosity, elegance, and spirited advocacy for the arts. Clair served as art director for Jewish News for 18 years, where she used her design talent and production expertise to produce the paper and its accompanying materials – meeting deadline after deadline. A highly accomplished graphic designer, Clair also produced numerous books and exhibition catalogues for the Chrysler Museum of Art, as well as W.W. Norton & Company, Bulfinch Press, Aperture, and Takarajima Books. In addition, she taught design as adjunct faculty at Tidewater Community College. Clair’s legacy lives on through her lasting impact on the region’s cultural landscape and the many institutions she supported.
Johnson began his career at the Chrysler Museum in 1977 as the museum photographer, and in 1980 became the first Curator of Photography, before departing in 2008 to begin a second career at Harmony Investments, Inc., in Virginia Beach. During his 31-year tenure, Johnson brought more than 4,500 objects, spanning the history of photography, into the collection, while organizing more than 100 exhibitions and more than two dozen publications. In June 2019, he was awarded the title of Founding Curator of Photography by the Chrysler Museum.
“Germaine and I conceived the Chrysler Museum’s photography program as an integrated program of collections, exhibitions, and publications, and with generous support from donors, that vision became an enduring reality,” says Johnson. “Germaine’s encouragement and deep belief in photography shaped the program in countless ways, and this endowment carries our shared vision forward by ensuring the program continues to grow and serve the museum and its community for generations to come. There could be no more meaningful way to honor Germaine, the life we shared, and the love, partnership, and inspiration she brought to my life.”
“We are deeply appreciative of Brooks and Germaine, and the impact they’ve had on our community,” says Erik H. Neil, Macon and Joan Brock Director of the Chrysler Museum of Art. “This remarkable gift allows us to build on decades of success and reinforces our commitment to photography as a vital artistic and educational medium.”
The Chrysler Museum of Art’s world-class photography collection includes more than 5,000 works – from iconic works by recognized masters to innovative pieces that reflect the medium’s diversity and breadth.
