SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The San Antonio Museum of Art announced the appointment of John Johnston as The Coates-Cowden-Brown Curator of Asian Art. Johnston began his post at SAMA on February 2, 2009 and joins the Museum from the Honolulu Academy of the Arts. "I'm delighted and excited to join the San Antonio Museum of Art. The Asian art collection here enjoys an international reputation for its excellence and depth. I look forward to contributing to the growth of the collection," Johnston commented.

A specialist in Buddhist art, Johnston has spent the last several years organizing a unique exhibition titled "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan", which debuted in Honolulu, was recently on view in New York and will soon open in San Francisco. The exhibition will travel to Paris, Zurich and Cologne next year. "The Dragon's Gift" is a groundbreaking exhibition of the Buddhist art of Bhutan and has been very well received in scholarly and museum circles. The exhibition includes more than 100 pieces of sacred Bhutanese artifacts, the vast majority never seen outside their remote temple homes before. The catalogue accompanying the exhibition, for which Johnston served as co-editor and contributor, is the foundational standard reference on sacred art from that region.

Marion Oettinger, the Betty and Bob Kelso Director of the San Antonio Museum of Art, commented "John Johnston is exactly the type of Asian art curator SAMA needs at this time in our history. He has a strong background in Chinese ceramics, the Museum's most significant area of Asian art collecting. Furthermore, he has conducted fieldwork in China and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. John has also worked in Japan and is excited about strengthening our collections of Japanese paintings, lacquer, ceramics and other things. His most recent work has been on the sacred arts of Bhutan, and John has an in-depth understanding of Buddhist art throughout Asia. Finally, he is an excellent writer and lecturer who conveys successfully his deep passion for Asian art and culture. We're delighted to have him oversee our collection."

Johnston currently serves on the editorial board of the National Museum of Bhutan and is the co-founder and contributing editor of Buddhist Art News, a daily updated web site devoted to developments in Buddhist art. His work in Asian art has been profiled in The New York Times, Arts of Asia, Orientations and a host of other international publications.

Previous to his work in Bhutan, Johnston worked as an arts consultant for private and public collections, worked at Sotheby's in the Chinese Works of Art department, and taught in universities in Asia and America. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and classical Tibetan. Education and community outreach are important passions. "While at the Honolulu Academy of Arts I worked closely with the education department, docents and the community at large – I look forward to doing the same here in San Antonio. One of my first priorities is to connect with SAMA's Friends of Asian Art membership," added Johnston.

Johnston received his MA in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii (honors), Chinese Studies, Art Specialization, 1996, Honolulu, Hawaii. His thesis focused on developments in Buddhist art during the medieval period in China. In addition to Bhutan, Johnston has conducted art historical field work in India, Thailand, Central Asia, China and Japan.