Southern Arkansas University’s department of Art and Design is sponsoring an exhibition of work by Arkansas native Patrick Johnson in the Brinson Fine Art Gallery titled “I See It Differently”. The exhibition runs until Oct. 31.
Johnson, a native of El Dorado, Ark., received his Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Henderson State University in 1986. Since receiving his bachelors, he has worked as an art teacher for various school districts in Arkansas. He went on to complete his Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts at Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2008 through a distance learning program.
It was through this distance learning program that Johnson met Steven Ochs, professor of arts in SAU’s Department of Art and Design. Ochs worked with Johnson as a mentor while he was working on his master of fine art degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
In his work, Johnson utilizes many “ready mades,” or “found art” to create his pieces, a style of art that has existed since the early 20th century. “I got familiar with his work and the process of the type of work he has been creating, which inspired me to invite him to show at SAU,” said Ochs.
Johnson’s “I See It Differently” exhibition will be displaying artwork that has never before been shown in Arkansas. The provocative exhibition is meant to be dialog-generating so that the audience may bring dynamics to the show with their variety of interpretations and rich conversations.
According to Ochs, “People may be challenged by the artwork because the religious images they are familiar with are reorganized into a completely different context than they are accustomed to. Regardless of someone’s beliefs or disbeliefs, most feel impelled to share their reactions and their convictions.”
Johnson explains how he sees things differently in his artist’s statement.
“I have an inner voice that seduces me into making things that I normally would not consider constructing. Listening to ‘the beast,’ as I have named it, has become a vital part of my process,” according to Johnson’s statement. “My work lurks beneath the boats of politics, religion, and society; watching them drift around as the wind changes. The people on board these boats often chum the water with their rhetoric and I bite. It’s just my nature.”
For more information on Johnson’s exhibition, or the SAU department of Art and Design, please contact Ochs in BFA 216, or by email at seochs@saumag.edu.
