MORRISTOWN, NJ.- Morris Museum President/CEO, Cleveland Johnson, has announced his plan to retire from his post at the end of 2021. Since his appointment four years ago, Johnson has overseen the expansion of the museum's mandate and instituted exhibitions and performances that reached out to new audiences. Under his watch, the Morris Museum, the second biggest museum in New Jersey, became a Smithsonian Affiliate, the only museum in the state with that honor. Under his guidance, the museum also defined an adventurous new focus for itself around "art, sound and motion."

Among the highlights of his tenure is the introduction of art exhibits that reflect the cultural zeitgeist, including the acclaimed, Aerosol, which featured the work of NJ's best street and graffiti artists. One of the few museums nationally with a full-rigged proscenium theatre, the 312 seat Bickford, Johnson oversaw the creation of a new performance program, Live Arts, which brought adventurous programming, including choreographer Kyle Marshall and composer Robert Sirota, and serves as a curated gallery for the performing arts.

When Covid 19 forced the cancellation of the planned indoor Live Arts season, Johnson oversaw the creation of the Lot of Strings Festival and Jazz on the Back Deck, which turned the Museum's unused Back Deck Parking Lotinto New Jersey's newest concert venue, able to safely accommodate 238 patrons per performance. The series attracted the best of jazz and classical ensembles, including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and some of the country's finest string quartets, including Catalyst, Jack, and Tesla.

Johnson's retirement allows him to return to research and performance projects in India and Germany, remaining from his academic career at DePauw University where he is Professor Emeritus of Music.