On loan courtesy of the artist.
Artist Bio
Debra E. Johnson is a native of San Diego, CA. She is a multimedia visual artist. Johnson earned
her B.A.in Art and a B.F.A. in Painting from Spelman College and the San Francisco Art
Institute respectively. Johnson returned home to San Diego and participated in two international
art exhibitions. Her work traveled to Japan and Mexico in the San Diego Tijuana Yokohama Art
Exchange exhibit. Then, her multi-ethnic artist group, (where she was the only woman) Cultural
Alchemy, was invited to exhibit in Johannesburg, South Africa, for Decolonizing Our Minds-
Premier International Biennale Art Exhibition.

Johnson moved to Atlanta where she became active in the arts community and received her
M.F.A. from Georgia State University. Her M.F.A. thesis and show, titled Glory B 2 God, was
based on the theme of restoration and healing from a Womanist and Afrofuturist perspective. As
her thesis proclaims, “My belief system is that healing or restoration comes from The Most High,
nothing constructive is possible without God…” Her artistic method draws from the life-giving
interconnections between nature, human beings, and the spiritual universe. Johnson’s current
project involves illustrating a children’s book for the North Carolina Department of Natural and
Cultural Resources. Johnson is a teaching artist and resides in North Carolina with her son.