Angela Davis Johnson

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Angela Davis Johnson
Born1981 (age 44)
Orlando, Florida
NationalityAmerican
EducationSelf-taught
Known forPainting, sculpture, installation art, ritual performance art
Websitehttps://www.angeladavisjohnson.com/

Angela Davis Johnson (born 1981) is an American interdisciplinary artist whose work engages themes related to the African diaspora and cultural memory in the American South. She has lived and worked in several cities, including Philadelphia, Atlanta, New Orleans, and areas of Arkansas.

Early life

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Angela Davis Johnson was born in Orlando, Florida.[1] Later, she moved with her family to Virginia, where she attended Governor's School for the Arts, an art magnet high school in Norfolk, Virginia.[2] Her early interest in art was developed under the influence of her mother, who encouraged her and her siblings to engage in creative activities such as singing, reading, and whittling, and provided them with art supplies.[3]

Artistry

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Johnson's ancestry, which includes practitioners of midwifery and healing, has been cited as an influence on her artistic themes.[4] Her work primarily addresses social and historical challenges faced by African Americans.[5][6]

The New York Times described her painting An Open Mouth Creek as depicting "a Black girl with sad eyes and blue hair… a piece that speaks to the silencing of Black women throughout history".[7] Reporting on her exhibitions has also noted the scope and subjects of her imagery.[8]

She frequently incorporates scraps of fabric into her oil paintings as an homage to her mother, a seamstress, and to bring humble materials into fine‑art contexts.[9]

Awards, fellowships and residencies

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Awards and fellowships

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  • 2020/21 Intercultural Leadership Institute Fellowship
  • 2018 MINT ATL Leap Year Fellowship
  • 2017 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant Nominee
  • 2017 Ensemble Theater Grant Awardee
  • 2016 Joan Mitchell Emerging Artist Nominee
  • 2015 Alternate Roots/Joan Mitchell Visual Art Scholar

Residencies

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  • 2022 Fountainhead Residency, Miami, FL
  • 2022 The New Freedom Project/ BAIA, Atlanta, GA
  • 2019 Tempus Project, Tampa, FL
  • 2019 Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
  • 2019 Fallawayinto Intensive, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2018 Hambidge Arts Center Residency, Rabun County, GA
  • 2018 MINT Leap Year, Atlanta, GA

References

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  1. ^ "Angela Davis Johnson CV" (PDF). Angeladavisjohnson.com. Retrieved Mar 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Q & A | Artist Angela Davis Johnson | CommonCreativ ATL". Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  3. ^ Relyea, Laura (2018-07-23). "Kind of Blue: Angela Davis Johnson tends to the wounds of the diaspora with "BLU BLAK"". ARTS ATL. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  4. ^ Rosa, Amanda (18 July 2022). "Healer, rebel, tribal leader: Meet the artists at this Miami residency for BIPOC mothers". Miami Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  5. ^ Smith, Kelundra (11 December 2018). "Overlooked in Atlanta, Black Female Artists Try Miami". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. ^ Wells, Napoleon (22 May 2019). "The Blues and the Sky: Artists tell stories of black personhood, survival". The Sumter Item. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  7. ^ Smith, Kelundra (11 December 2018). "Overlooked in Atlanta, Black Female Artists Try Miami". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  8. ^ Wells, Napoleon (22 May 2019). "The Blues and the Sky: Artists tell stories of black personhood, survival". The Sumter Item. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  9. ^ Feaster, Felicia (16 April 2020). "Talented emerging Atlanta artists to watch". Atlanta Journal‑Constitution. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
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