Stephanie Anne Johnson facts for kids

Stephanie Anne Johnson, born in 1952, is an American artist. She creates art using many different materials and forms. Many of her artworks are special installations made for specific outdoor places.

Early Life and Education

Stephanie Anne Johnson was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1952. Her mother, Virginia E. Johnson, was a teacher and social worker. She also worked with the American Negro Theater in Harlem. Her father, Dr. Lawrence J. Johnson, was a child psychologist.

College Years and Lighting Design

Johnson went to Emerson College and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre in 1974. While there, she took a class about lighting design. After college, her first jobs were in lighting design. This led to a 40-year career designing lights for plays and shows. This experience later inspired her visual art.

Pursuing Fine Arts and Teaching

In the early 1990s, Stephanie decided to study Fine Arts more deeply. She received her Master of Arts degree from San Francisco State University in 1994. In 1999, she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She also completed her Doctorate in 2013 from Union Institute & University.

Since 1995, Johnson has been a professor at California State University, Monterey Bay. She teaches in the Visual and Public Art Department. She also performs a solo show called “Every Twenty One Days: Cancer, Yoga, and Me.”

Artworks and Themes

Stephanie Anne Johnson is well-known for her public art installations and performance art. Her art often explores important themes. These include family history, cultural stories, and how people from different backgrounds connect. She also looks at topics like immigration and fairness for all genders.

Using Light in Art

Her sculptures and installations often use light in special ways. She uses light to create symbolic images and show deeper meanings. This helps to bring out emotions in her art. She uses the skills she learned as a professional lighting designer in her art.

Johnson has had two solo art shows in San Francisco. Her work has been displayed in many places across the country. One notable exhibition was “Bearing Witness” at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Awards and Recognition

Stephanie Anne Johnson has received several awards and honors for her work.

• In 1982, she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
• In 1995, she spent 11 months as an artist-in-residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts.
• She has also received "Lighting Artists in Dance" grants.
• She has been nominated for awards for her excellent lighting design. These nominations came from Theatre Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area Critic’s Circle, and Broadway Theatre West.