Artist Biography Kerrick Johnson's emphasis on materiality owes much in part to his progressive education in Greenville, South Carolina, where he studied painting, jewelry, design, and film at the Fine Arts Center high school. This school's focus is to train young talented artists how to develop and create artwork at an early age. While he focused on ceramics at the Fine Art Center, “The look I was searching for was glass,” he said. In pursuit of this "look", Johnson moved to New Orleans to study the art of glassblowing at the New Orleans School of Glassworks. This is where Johnson realized his ability and desire to create glass. New Orleans Glasswork offered a taste of glass, but didn't have an intense focus in glass. He took the recommendation of the Glassworks staff and enrolled at the Appalachian Center for Craft under artist Curtiss Brock at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, Tennessee. During his time at Appalachian Center for Craft, Johnson received several awards including five Niche competitions and the Bacchanal scholarship. His most valuable opportunity and experience was becoming the primary glass working assistant to Curtiss Brock. Johnson collaborated with Brock to develop new cold working processes not used in traditional glass. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Glass and a minor in art history from the Appalachian Center for Crafts in 2002, he built a glass studio and equipment for an artist. He then moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee to work as a glass studio manager for Ignis Glass. During this time, he cold-worked for several artists such as Greg Fiddler and Curtiss Brock. Simultaneously Johnson was developing and refining his own look with glass. He was awarded a competitive "Arts Move" grant from Allied Arts of Chattanooga to build a house and studio in a developing downtown neighborhood. In 2005, he started Kerrick Johnson Glass Studio, where each of his sculptures are created. His glass blowing studio will join his cold working and metal studio in 2010. |
Artist Resume Education Work Experience 2009 Kerrick Johnson Glass Studio - Chattanooga, TN, Owner Exhibitions & Awards 2010 Palm Beach Fine Craft Show, Palm Beach, FL |
