Sometimes the heart can be quick and reactive. Other times it can be slow and deliberate.
For Mahomet resident Judith Adanma Johnson, art has always been a way to understand and express her heart.
“I’m going to be very frank and a little vulnerable here because I think it’s important,” Adanma Johnson said. “Art has been my voice since I was a little girl and I couldn’t find one. I didn’t understand what I was feeling or what it meant or why I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know these things. I was always frustrated and I was always alone even with people around.”
“It’s part of living with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and I’ve taken that into adulthood,” she continued. “It’s still so much easier for me to look at a painting and say, ‘that is how I’m feeling today.’ It makes more sense to me to see a color and think of how that color looks like angry. I’m drawn to art because it’s the easiest and most effective language that I speak.”
Adanma Johnson hopes spectators at this year’s Boneyard Arts Festival will see their own interpretation of her piece “Berühre mein Herz” (Touch My Heart), which was chosen as the Signature Image of the festival.
“This piece in particular is a lot of things,” she said. “In English it is “Touch my Heart.” That is quite loaded. Each viewer will have their own interpretation of what that may mean. Is it longing? Is it amorous? For me, it’s a desire to be moved by something in a way that makes me want to keep chasing that feeling.”
A 2003 Millikin University graduate with a B.F.A in Studio Art and Art Therapy, Adanma Johnson worked with acrylic paints in a “very quick and reactionary” manner until she began creating collages. Now, she makes a lot of deliberate decisions which force her to slow down.
“Collage is a more reflective process and there are a lot of things personally right now that call for a little reflection,” she said.
A mother of two boys, 12 and 10, Adanma Johnson believes that her work reflects a new phase of life.
“As I’ve gotten older, my art has become more sophisticated and I’ve become more fluent I suppose,” she said. “I’ve been challenged to pay attention to composition and balance while maintaining honesty in expression and content. I’ve entered this new chapter and I’m interested to see where it’s going. ”
With art featured regionally, included local pieces found in MTD Art and Sky Gallery, Adanma Johnson said she was ecstatic and humbled to learn that her piece was chosen among 80 other local and talented artists. “Berühre mein Herz” will be on display at the 40 North Building located at 106 S Neil St, Champaign on April 6 through 9.
“It’s important to celebrate art because art is a direct line to the spirit,” she said. “There is no intermediary needed to be moved by a piece of art, music, poetry, dance. When these things are celebrated publicly, it’s a reminder of how important the nourishment of the spirit is. We live in a time when the arts are constantly in jeopardy of being cut out of our schools despite the multitude of evidence showing that a strong arts program is better for children learning across all disciplines. Having public celebrations like Boneyard reinforces the importance of the arts in the community and reminds us how important it is to protect this nourishment for generations to come.”
For a complete schedule of Boneyard Arts locations, including Kaffee, the Museum of the Grand Prairie and Paint Like Me Studio visit the Boneyard Arts website.
