Donald Clay Johnson, scholar of Indian textiles and former curator of the Ames Library of South Asia at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, passed away on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at his home in Minneapolis.
Don earned degrees in Asian Studies and Library Science respectively at University of Wisconsin Madison and the University of Chicago. He began work as a curator for South East Asia materials at Yale University. Subsequently, he worked for three years in Malaysia at the National University. When he returned, he earned his doctorate at UW Madison and then worked at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg VA for 7 years. Eventually, he accepted his position at the University of Minnesota.
He made his first trip to India in 1966 where he fell in love with its textiles and traditions and began collecting cloth. Over the years, the collection grew to over 1,000 pieces. The Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota, which houses many of these pieces, presented three separate exhibitions showcasing his collections; the first in 2011 titled, “Beyond Peacocks and Paisleys,” and the second in 2017, “Global Technique, Local Pattern: Ikat Textiles.” Most recently, “Narrative Threads,” in 2024. He compiled and published five library reference compendiums. As he neared retirement, he collaborated with Helen Bradley Foster, to edit two books on the role of clothing in society, Wedding Dress Across Cultures (2003) and Dress Sense, Emotional and Sensory Experiences of the Body and Clothes (2007). His sizable personal collection of books related to textiles from South Asia is now part of the Library at Textile Center of Minnesota
The friendships he made with his friends from India were immeasurable. Don visited Ahmedabad India 28 times throughout his life, sometimes two months at a time, and he would call Ahmedabad his home away from home. For many years, Don served AIIS as a trustee from the University of Minnesota.