From the canvas to the community, local artist Cierra Johnson is making a name for herself at the Harrison Center.
Johnson, a mixed media artist who was born and raised on Indianapolis’ east side, said she started formal art training at the age of 12. Having attended Shortridge High School Arts Magnet program before continuing her education at the Art Institute of Chicago, Johnson returned to Indy to earn a degree in visual communication from Ivy Tech.
Johnson’s work with the Harrison Center ranges from creating portraits in her studio to inviting the community in during First Fridays and participating in Storytelling Drawing Sessions each Wednesday.
“I’ve done those portraits recently of people that I know, which has been a really valuable experience,” she said. “To hear their stories directly from them and for them to be able to tell it their way, and then to be able to record that using artwork, has been amazing.”
When she’s not making art, Johnson is the marketing and communications director for a local fraternity. However, next year, when she steps into her new role as Creative Placemaking Fellow, she’ll be working for the Harrison Center full time helping to build relationships with the Black community and Martindale-Brightwood area.
“Doing that type of work is really important,” Johnson said. “When I’m not making things, I’m just trying to shake hands or meet people and do outreach because I want more people involved in arts.”
The fellowship, which begins in January, will see Johnson at the forefront of the Porch Party Indy initiative and managing FoodCon, a neighborhood food festival in collaboration with Indiana Humanities.
As an artist and painter, Johnson’s work is centered around incorporating abstract acrylic paint and integrated illustration using marker, colored pencil, watercolor and various household materials. Although Johnson said she’s comfortable making art this way, she said the materials she uses are often a result of circumstance.
For example, one of her pieces, “Keys to Life,” incorporates brown paper lunch bags.
“Because I have kids, and so there’s always craft supplies around,” she said. “So it’s a mix of high art materials, like heavy body paints, with common household items, like a paper bag or tissue paper, for the texture.”
Although Johnson has a grasp on how different materials work together in her art, she said she still enjoys the challenge of rethinking how everyday items and people are seen. When it comes to the subject of her work, themes of people, community, leadership and femininity stand out.
“The work is always about myth and history and experience as a Black person and as a woman,” she said. “It’s always a feminine perspective, so anyone who inhabits a feminine space should be able to relate to the works that I make.”
“Keys to Life” embodies that idea, Johnson said. The portrait is based off the song “Money, Power, Respect” by The Lox featuring Lil Kim and reinterpreted through the lens of Johnson’s experience as a woman.
Even though Lil Kim is only a feature on the song, Johnson said her presence on the track solidified the idea that women are always present, doing part of the work and should be spotlighted for their efforts.
“You know oftentimes, in everyone else’s lives, Black women oftentimes create culture, but that’s not whose names are in history books,” Johnson said. “I think my real purpose is to push that idea even farther — that in every area of life, there is probably a Black woman who helped you get to do what you are doing in some form or fashion.”
Most of Johnson’s art begins with a line of text, a song lyric or imagery and can take several weeks to finish. She said some of her ideas begin as “a soup in my brain” until she hits a burst of inspiration, and her vision finds a way onto a canvas.
“Sometimes artwork can be heavy,” Johnson said, “and I want people to know that artwork and self-expression is really fun, that art is available to every single person no matter your skill level.”
Johnson will kick off the new year with two gallery shows in addition to the fellowship. The first show, “From Mud,” will be in the Hank and Dolly at the Harrison Center and the second, “Morning Glory,” will take place at Storefront Theatre, 2416 E. 55th Place.
Contact staff writer Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7898 or email chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe graduated with a degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and her previous work includes freelancing for Indy Maven, Assistant Arts & Life Editor for The Lantern, and editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Chloe enjoys covering all things arts and culture — from local music, visual art, dance, theater and film, as well as minority-owned businesses. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading, cooking and keeping her plants alive.
