Dr. Andrew Johnson

Biography

Andrew Ellis Johnson is a Professor Emeritus at the School of Art, Carnegie Mellon University. Born in Cortland, NY, he is a jazz guitarist and a civil war historian, with a strong artistic background pursuing film and painting. Johnson studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo, completing his BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, followed by earning his MFA at Carnegie Mellon. His career has taken him across Europe and Asia and included noteworthy tenures as an artist-in-residence with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and curating inmate art exhibitions. He co-founded the socially engaged collective PED while teaching at the University at Buffalo, which performed in various international locations. Since joining the CMU faculty in 2004, Johnson's recent projects include residencies and exchanges in South Korea, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and Jerusalem. His art spans various media and often engages with social and political issues, advocating for representation and agency through his work, which is displayed in numerous museums, galleries, and festivals across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Research Interests