Verlena L. Johnson's guest appearances

Verlena L. Johnson

The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast

Collections by Michelle Brown

Denise Davis

Karen Williams

Wilhelmina Perry

Cynthia McKinney

Karen Hardy

Scott Ellis

Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Ruth Ellis

Eric Darnell

Willy Wilkinson

Imani Williams

John Sykes

Pauli Murray

Ericka Huggins

Elizabeth Brown

OwlTail

In August 2020, Verlena L. Johnson was featured in ZAMI NOBLA’s virtual art show, Cocktails, Tea, and Art. This interview was recorded remotely a few days before the show. Verlena L. Johnson was born and raised in the Midwest (Wisconsin and Illinois), but also briefly lived in New York City, Ealing England, Oakland, Long Beach and most recently Los Angeles.  She earned a Master's Degree in Afro-American Studies (emphasis: Art History, 1996) from the University of Wisconsin — Madison and a Master’s of Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Sculpture, 2001).  She has also studied wood carving with master Ghanaian woodcarvers and at both Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Craft. Her M.A. thesis, “The Image Text Composite in the Art of Faith Ringgold: Form and Narrative” explores Ringgold's art using WJT Mitchell's Picture Theory to examine the meaning created by Ringgold combining images and text.  It also examines Ringgold's "Picasso's Studio," as a meta-picture or a picture about pictures, specifically focusing on Black female subjectivity.  Thesis Advisor: Freida High Tesfagiorgis. She has exhibited her work in Chicago (IL), Madison (WI), New York (NY), Oakland and Los Angeles (CA), amongst other places.

In August 2020, Verlena L. Johnson was featured in ZAMI NOBLA’s virtual art show, Cocktails, Tea, and Art. This interview was recorded remotely a few days before the show. Verlena L. Johnson was born and raised in the Midwest (Wisconsin and Illinois), but also briefly lived in New York City, Ealing England, Oakland, Long Beach and most recently Los Angeles.  She earned a Master's Degree in Afro-American Studies (emphasis: Art History, 1996) from the University of Wisconsin — Madison and a Master’s of Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Sculpture, 2001).  She has also studied wood carving with master Ghanaian woodcarvers and at both Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Craft. Her M.A. thesis, “The Image Text Composite in the Art of Faith Ringgold: Form and Narrative” explores Ringgold's art using WJT Mitchell's Picture Theory to examine the meaning created by Ringgold combining images and text.  It also examines Ringgold's "Picasso's Studio," as a meta-picture or a picture about pictures, specifically focusing on Black female subjectivity.  Thesis Advisor: Freida High Tesfagiorgis. She has exhibited her work in Chicago (IL), Madison (WI), New York (NY), Oakland and Los Angeles (CA), amongst other places.

The Art and Spirit of Verlena L. Johnson

Michelle Brown

Michelle Brown WSG

Verlena Johnson was born in Chicago and grew up in Madison and Beloit Wisconsin but now calls California home.She is a multimedia artist whose artwork includes drawing, painting, sculpture, puppetry, performance and video. Her art is often figurative and conveys a narrative. exploring racial and gender identity—how they are constructed, their social/cultural/political meaning, and her relationship to them.She shares her journey in expressing art from the political to the personal. Especially interesting is how she brings her energy work, her spirituality into her art. Various symbols that appear in mysticism, e.g., halos, spirals, and birds appear in much of her work.Halos are depicted in many of the pieces and symbolize the subject’s divinity (her belief is that we are all divine). While halos often have religious origins, for Verlena they represent a figure’s life force or the energy That Moves Through ALL Things.She says "Further, circles represent continuity, connectivity and the cycle of life (ideas present amongst many African and Native American people). Spirals represent spiritual development, eternity, the slow reveal of things that are hidden and feminine energy. Birds symbolize the communication with Spirit and our connection to the Divine, as well as spiritual evolution. Feathers are also depicted in her art to symbolize Divinity and as a nod to her Salish Kootenai ancestors.She earned an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Afro-American Studies with an emphasis in Art History.  She earned an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Sculpture and studied wood carving with Ghanaian Master Wood-carvers, Djam Vivie &amp; Kwakou Gerai.

Verlena Johnson was born in Chicago and grew up in Madison and Beloit Wisconsin but now calls California home. She is a multimedia artist whose artwork includes drawing, painting, sculpture, puppetry, performance and video. Her art is often figurative and conveys a narrative. exploring racial and gender identity—how they are constructed, their social/cultural/political meaning, and her relationship to them. She shares her journey in expressing art from the political to the personal. Especially interesting is how she brings her energy work, her spirituality into her art. Various symbols that appear in mysticism, e.g., halos, spirals, and birds appear in much of her work. Halos are depicted in many of the pieces and symbolize the subject’s divinity (her belief is that we are all divine). While halos often have religious origins, for Verlena they represent a figure’s life force or the energy That Moves Through ALL Things. She says "Further, circles represent continuity, connectivity and the cycle of life (ideas present amongst many African and Native American people). Spirals represent spiritual development, eternity, the slow reveal of things that are hidden and feminine energy. Birds symbolize the communication with Spirit and our connection to the Divine, as well as spiritual evolution. Feathers are also depicted in her art to symbolize Divinity and as a nod to her Salish Kootenai ancestors. She earned an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Afro-American Studies with an emphasis in Art History.  She earned an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Sculpture and studied wood carving with Ghanaian Master Wood-carvers, Djam Vivie &amp; Kwakou Gerai.

Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Artist Verlena L. Johnson