Dara Lohnes

I am a collections professional currently residing in Tlingit Aani, the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Aakw Kwaan and Taaku Kwaan. I am currently the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Juneau Douglas City Museum. Previously, I have worked at the University of Wyoming Art Museum as their Collections Manager and the National Music Museum as their Photographer. In the field I do volunteer work including being a former Co-chair of the ARCS Conference Committee, the Wyoming State Representative for RC-MPMA, the Museum Studies Liaison for the former CS-AAM groups, and a grant reviewer for Museums Alaska and Creative West (WestAF.) I have a Master of Art in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester’s school of Museum Studies where my dissertation focused on the physical impacts visitors have on collections and the policies surrounding their care.

I specialize in registration and collections management, most especially in the digitalization of objects and how people visiting a space affect how the collection is cared for and interpreted. My favorite part of my career is bringing the hidden stories of the collections to the communities serviced by the museum.

My unique experiences abroad include studying the traditional artistic practices of Northern India during spring 2011, excavating Roman city Heraclea Lyncestis in Bitola, Macedonia summer 2011, and visiting multiple museums and heritage sites around the United States and Europe.