Linda Johnson, Ph.D., currently Visiting Professor of Art History at the University of Michigan-Flint, has been named as the new Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator, effective July 2025, for the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD.
Johnson is a curator and historian of American art specializing in painting, sculpture, and works on paper from the18th-20th centuries, with a special emphasis on American impressionism and realism, landscape art and environmental studies, and intercultural encounters between Euro-American artists. A member of member of the Association of Museum Art Curators and active in the College Art Association, Johnson currently holds a senior fellowship in the Visual Arts at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, where she is on the editorial board for The Journal of Animal Ethics, and is the author of Art, Ethics and the Human Animal Relationship (Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2021), as well as numerous academic journal articles. She also held a Summer Fellowship with Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, MA.
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Executive Director Sarah J. Hall said Johnson’s scholarship and ability to make layers of art historical information accessible are impressive. “As part of the interview process, she was asked to give a gallery presentation,” Hall said, “and her talk on William Merritt Chase’s Still Life Fish, Plate and Copper Container was both entertaining and illuminating. It’s not always easy to do—to bring something new to your audience, and entertain them, while bringing your own insights and stimulating conversation. I’m looking forward to working with her to develop fresh ways of interpreting our collection.”
Johnson’s previous positions include Curator at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA and Exhibition Coordinator at the American Art Detroit Institute of Arts. She received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, specializing in American Studies, Art History and Visual Culture, and from where she also holds a graduate Museum Studies Certificate.
“The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts’ internationally renowned collection presents a rich foundation for exciting exhibitions, installations, and collection growth in new and wide-ranging directions,” Johnson said. “This is a great privilege, and I am looking forward to collaborating with so many stellar colleagues at the museum, and to engaging with the broader and cultural communities in the area.”
The Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator position was established through a permanently restricted endowment given to the Museum of Fine Arts-Washington County in July 2016 by the Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Foundation, Lee E. Stine, Jr., of Shepherdstown, WV, President, and Larry W. Stine of Charlotte, NC, Treasurer. The earnings on the endowed fund guaranty that the museum will allows have sufficient funds to staff the curatorial position to the highest museum standards.
The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, located on the lakefront in Hagerstown City Park, was established in 1931 by William H. Singer, Jr. and Anna Brugh Singer and has an extensive, world-class permanent collection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures from the 15th century, (plus older Roman and Egyptian artifacts) to the present, featuring celebrated and diverse artists. Accredited by American Alliance of Museums since 1976, the Museum offers tours, classes, educational programs and community events and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission and parking are free. For more information: wcmfa.org
