Dowse director awarded Winston Churchill scholarship

Courtney Johnston, Director of The Dowse Art Museum had been awarded a travel grant from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to travel and study in the United States.
 
Courtney will visit museums and galleries to research:
1.    Strategies to connect visitors to museum collections using technology
2.    Emerging museum membership programmes, and
3.    Techniques for improving access to museums and galleries for members of the community that are infrequent visitor.
 
Matt Reid, General Manager of Community Services at Hutt City Council says, “We are delighted Courtney has been awarded this scholarship and excited by the opportunities, chances to learn and new relationships it brings.”   
 
Courtney chose the museums and galleries on her itinerary for their similarities to The Dowse, with her agenda favouring regional organisations serving local communities.
 
“Seeing these organisations and talking to staff will be invaluable in terms of how I can develop what we do at The Dowse and apply the best parts of what I learn while travelling, says Courtney.

“Of course I know these places from online research, and in some cases have met their staff at conferences, but the chance to see them working first-hand will show me how the experiences really work, what their flaws are and how we can learn from people already doing brilliant things to attract and maintain their local visitors.”
 
Having recently been elected to the board of Museums Aotearoa, Courtney will also have the opportunity to share her experiences more widely with the cultural sector. She will also present her findings at the conference of Museums and the Web in Asia (Melbourne) and the National Digital Forum (Wellington).

The museums and galleries that Courtney will visit are:

• Dallas Museum of Art
• The Smithsonian
• Baltimore Museum of Art
• Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
• Brooklyn Museum
• The American Swedish Institute
• Walker Art Centre
• Minneapolis Institute of Art, and
• Indianapolis Museum of Art

Courtney Johnston  (February 2014). Photo © Billie Brooke

Courtney was awarded $7,500 by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, one of only 15 people in New Zealand to be successful in their application.