ANTOINETTE-RIE JOHNSON
WHAT ROLE DOES ART PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
The role that art plays in my life is it gives me a way of escape, freedom and a quiet place to create. I find peace in art! Life experiences inspire me to create art. Things like songs, words, simple day to day things inspire me to create.
2023 Identity 2 Exhibition
IDENTITY STATEMENT
Depending on the day, I see myself as strong, forgotten, but equipped for life’s challenges. After being labeled as a felon I want to be seen as a person, a human! See me as I am, not what society has labeled me to be. After being someone who grew up in the system and has gone through so much in life, my lived experiences inform people along with myself. I’m a survivor, no longer a victim. I’ve learned that God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. He has called me to be a light in dark places and a voice for others.
Becoming! Metamorphosis of a Woman
In the AFTI Store:
11 x 14 / 12.5 x 15.5 framed
Medium: Pencil, watercolor and glow in the dark paint
The inspiration for my piece was my own story. If I don't fight for my justice, then who will? Dr. King fought for justice and freedom even when he was in jail. To be jailed for nothing I think to myself, what did he feel in that moment? Instead of writing on the walls, what he did write behind the bars that couldn't be seen in the light? My piece is a glow in the dark painting, after you put up a light to it, and turn the lights off it glows in the dark.