raymond and susan johnson held the first retail exhibition of russian realist art in north america in 1991. the largest collectors of soviet-era paintings outside the former ussr, the johnsons showed their work privately until envisioning a public museum in 2002. it commenced exhibition activities open to the public in 2002, initially in loaned space in a corporate office park located in bloomington, minnesota. the organization initially showcased russian realist-style paintings from the late 19th century as well as from the soviet era (1917–1991). ray johnson was appointed an honorary consul for the russian federation in 2003, and in recognition of their respective contributions "to international cultural diversity and education," both johnson (2005) and tmora's first director bradford shinkle (2009) were awarded russia's order of friendship medal, the highest civilian honor accorded to non-russian citizens.