Niki Johnson is a Milwaukee based Artist, Curator and Executive Director of Forward Art Initiative. Raised in New Mexico, Johnson has spent her adult life living across the United States, including five-year stints in San Francisco, California, and Memphis, Tennessee. She received her BFA from the University of Memphis and MA/MFA degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Studio Art. For the past decade, Johnson has run her studio full-time, exhibiting her art and curating local and national exhibitions. Her artwork is in several private and public collections including the collection of Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell, the collection of Ken and Melinda Krei, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Madison Central Public Library, UW-Health’s American Center Hospital and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Reviews of Johnson’s artwork have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Hyperallergic, and Vice Magazine, amongst other national and international media sources.

“I make art addressing issues of identity and equity to challenge structural power systems affecting our lives today. As a feminist, I am invested in creating art that provides opportunity for viewers to reflect on their lived experiences, and hopefully reignite personal commitments to building a better, more just future. I am more keenly aware now more than ever of how fragile my personal freedom is, especially in light of the rise of fascism and conservative religious doctrine in public spaces across the United States. My vantage point is that of a person who sees herself as a full member in American society, who’s physical autonomy, identity and personal freedom are not up for debate. Through my art, I process both the disenchantment I have and hope I hold for this nation. I see art as my teacher and my voice.

Most of the art I make is comprised of hundreds, if not thousands of pieces, and takes tens if not hundreds of hours to complete. I see each artwork as an evolution in thought, and the time when making as essential for a full synthesis of both the concept and material to happen. I build meaning in my work by combining my intention with the associated cultural values of the materials. Because I work with a wide array of (often found) materials, I regularly am scaffolding upon my training in sculpture and printmaking to learn new technologies to create my work.”

CV available upon request. Please email through link above.