SEARCH
Mary Margaret Johnson was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, and received her BA in Fine Arts at Sewanee: The University of the South in 2018. Johnson is a multidisciplinary artist and curator, and educator based in San Antonio whose practice includes photography, textiles, printmaking, performance, painting, and murals. She has exhibited her work all over Texas and Tennessee. In 2020, she started and founded her own business, Art By Moogs, which has gained national recognition and clients. Johnson also teaches her artistic practices to all ages for organizations like Texas Public Radio, Ruby City and Briscoe Western Art Museum as well as private lessons. She is a current resident and social media manager of Clamp Light Studios & Gallery.
Resume (PDF)
Work Samples (PDF)
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Style: Teaching Artist/Instructor: Group Instruction, Instruction for Adults, Instruction for Children, Instruction for Seniors, Instruction for Special Needs, Multi-Day Artist Residency, Private Lessons, Workshop Presenter; Visual Art: Abstract, Collage, Conceptual, Contemporary, Documentary, Environmental, Experimental, Expressionistic, Focus on Color/Light/Movement, Illustrative, Interactive, Narrative/Historical, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Objective, Photo-Based Painting, Political, Pop, Portraiture, Representational, Site-Specific, Social Commentary
Artist Medium: Acrylic; Audio/Sound; Collage; Drawing Media; Fiber/Fabric; Film; Photography; Cyanotype
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
In November of 2022, I showed my solo exhibition “Unexpressed Love” at Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery. This was a project exploring the collective experience of grief, loss and the longing for human connection through cyanotype textiles, prints and performance art. The images seen in the work contain family photographs, self portraits, my own photographs and submissions from friends and family. I opened submissions to my community to emphasize that these experiences are universal and simply because it was requested by others. The purpose of this project was to create a space for us to sit in our grief and longing. It recognizes that grief is the repeated experience of learning to live and love in the midst of a significant loss. I used cyanotype as a medium because of its versatility to print on any natural material. I am able to print on textiles and clothing to make wearable pieces, as seen in the performance video.
The coupled experience of being diagnosed with Bipolar I and losing my bodily autonomy through lack of consent from others, developing reproductive issues and an autoimmune disease felt like a death of my past self. I am continuing to explore that death through my work, using the act of creating artwork almost as a therapeutic outlet. I juxtapose pieces using text and self-portraiture to analyze my own mental state. This, in turn, has sparked conversation with viewers regarding mental illness and generated awareness.
