Clarion Calls

Lester Johnson, renowned Detroit artist, earned his bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts degrees from the University of Michigan.  He has exhibited his work in the Detroit Institute of Arts, Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and galleries and museums around the world. A Garland of Praise Songs for Rosa Parks finds its permanent home at the Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights in Detroit. In 2011, Johnson was invited to sign the famed historic Scarab Club beam, an honor extended to artists who have made significant and lasting contributions to the arts, and includes Marcel Duchamp, Diego Rivera, Norman Rockwell and Charles McGee.

Lester Johnson’s paintings, sculptures and mixed media works are influenced by both his African and Native American heritage, and powerfully blends the past and present of these rich cultures.

Johnson’s work “largely plays homage to the artistry of contemporary jazz musicians...most notably the late Miles Davis. Reflecting the sound of sophisticated jazz, Johnson's work shifts between different tones and designs, using the bold semantics of color to mimic the sound of instruments interacting, locking and unlocking in an exchange of ideas”. - Phyllis Johnson

Artist Reception, Friday, May 10, 5-7 pm, NCRC, Building 18