Jonathan Bucci, who joined the Hallie Ford Museum of Art as curator of collections and exhibitions in 2006, assumed the director’s role following John Olbrantz’s retirement on Sept. 4, 2026. Bucci said he is honored to serve as the museum’s next director while building on the strong foundation laid by Olbrantz. He has spent his career in a university setting and finds it rewarding to mentor students and work with faculty committed to object-based learning, according to a Willamette University news release. University museums serve as spaces where the academic world and the public meet, Bucci added in the release, and he looks forward to bridging that space through collaboration with artists, collectors and the broader community.
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art has operated for nearly 30 years as a bridge between Willamette University’s academic programs and the wider Salem community, a message from the new director on the museum’s website stated. It connects art, artists and ideas with the public while exploring shared humanity, the director’s message continued. The museum offers year-round opportunities to interact with tangible objects and learn from real people through exhibitions, gallery tours, artist talks and hands-on programs. These experiences bring people together, provide inspiration and space for reflection, challenge visitors and ultimately strengthen communities, according to the director’s message.
A focus on art from the Northwest, including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous works, remains core to the museum’s identity and distinguishes it from peer institutions, Bucci told Oregon ArtsWatch in a Sept. 10, 2026 interview. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art holds more than 11,000 artworks and artifacts, some dating to antiquity, the publication reported. It opened in 1998 after Willamette University purchased and renovated a former telephone company building with support from the Ford Family Foundation, university historical records show.
Olbrantz, who guided the museum from its founding until his retirement, cultivated a welcoming space that drew strong attendance to lectures and exhibitions, according to accounts in Oregon ArtsWatch. He collaborated with faculty and an education curator to bring notable scholars and artists to campus for events open to students, alumni and the public. The museum’s partnerships extend to local nonprofits, Native American tribes, K-12 schools and other colleges, the publication noted in its profile of the institution.
Willamette University is pursuing a merger with Pacific University in Forest Grove, a development that coincides with this leadership transition at the museum, Oregon ArtsWatch reported on Sept. 10, 2026. Bucci steps into the role at a time when the museum continues to emphasize its regional collections while serving as the only liberal arts college art museum in the Pacific Northwest. The institution’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions have built a reputation for excellence both regionally and nationally, the director’s message on the museum website indicated.
The museum building, designed in the International style and transformed with warm colors, natural materials and an open atrium, creates dynamic interior spaces that enhance visitor engagement, university descriptions state. Its location at the corner of State and Cottage streets in Salem places it adjacent to the campus and accessible to the broader public. Programming under the new leadership will maintain an emphasis on discovery, where visitors can expand their understanding of the world through a wide range of human expression, the director’s message concluded.
