Darien O. Johnson

Darien O. Johnson

Assistant Professor
(716) 878-6032
Campus Address: Upton Hall 130

Darien Johnson received his B.F.A. from Saint Cloud State University, Minnesota in 2002. He completed a year of post-bachelor work at the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri, and received an M.F.A. at Arizona State University in 2009. 

Johnson’s work has been in national exhibitions such as “Ink and Clay 34,” CA, “Concordia Continental,” MN, and “Generously Odd: Craft Now,” KY. He has also been published in 500 Ceramic Sculptures, Surface Design for Ceramics, and Ceramics Monthly. Johnson’s sculptures are part of public collections including the Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ, and California State Polytechnic Collection, Pomona, CA.

Website:  www.darienjohnson.com

Education

2009     Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

                                    Master of Fine Arts, Ceramics

2003      Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri

                                    Non-Degree Seeking Student

2002      Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud, Minnesota

                                    Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramics

Teaching Experience

2010               
Assistant Professor, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY

2009-2010    
Visiting Adjunct Professor, College For Creative Studies, Detroit, MI 
Teaching Functional Hand-building, Sculptural Clay, The Painted Surface

Continuing Education Instructor, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
Teaching basic mold making, slip-casting, and figurative ceramic sculpture.

2009                
Instructor of Record Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Ceramics Survey, one semester

2008                 
Instructor of Record Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
3-D Design, two semesters

2007                 
Instructor of Record Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Ceramics Survey, one semester

2005-2006      
Workshop Instructor, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Creative Clay                                    

Exhibitions

2011                           
Elastic Authenticity Invitational (event forthcoming) Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL. I co-curated this exhibition with Susan Beiner.

2010
Altered Perceptions Solo Mott Community Coll. Gallery, Flint, MI

Orton ConeBox Show Juried Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS

Digital Clay 2010 Juried Carbondale Clay, Carbondale, CO

Red Heat Juried The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

30 Small Works Juried Gallery Up: Gettys Art Center, Rock Hill, SC

2010 All Media Exhibition Juried Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

18th Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition Juried San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX

44th Annual National Drawing & Small Sculpture Show Juried Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, TX

Mind invitational (event forthcoming) Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, MI

Eight Fluid Ounces 2010 Juried Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA

Contemporary Forum Art Auction Invitational Phoenix Art
Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Currents: Contemporary Ceramics Juried University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

2009                          
Actual Size Biennial Invitational Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, Detroit, MI

Artworks for Life Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, MI

Generously Odd: Craft Now Juried Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY

Michigan Mud Artist Exhibition Invitational Michigan Mud, Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI

10 x 10 Invitational Mesa Art Center, Mesa, AZ

The Sixth Annual Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition juried, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Elevation Gain MFA thesis Exhibition, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University in conjunction with NCECA, Tempe, AZ

ASU Ceramics Graduate Student Exhibition Step Gallery, Arizona State University in conjunction with NCECA, Tempe, AZ

Peer Influence Invitational, ASU Performing Arts, Arizona State University in conjunction with NCECA, Tempe, AZ

NCECA Student Regional juried, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe AZ

2008                          
National Cup Show juried, Barrett Clay Works Artist Studios & Galleries, Poughkeepsie, NY 

The Fifth Annual Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition juried, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Ink and Clay 34 juried, W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery, Pomona, CA 

Eight Fluid Ounces 3 juried, Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA

Concordia Continental juried, Concordia Gallery, Saint Paul, MN

 29th Annual Contemporary Crafts juried, Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

2007                          
MFA Summer Show juried, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Hot $h*t Invitational, CCACA Conference, Davis, CA

2006                   
Two Solo, The Vault Gallery (Leedy-Voulkos Art Center), Kansas City, MO

Annual Invitational Art Show Invitational, KCAI Crossroads Gallery, Kansas City, MO

2005
Transitions Solo, Tchoupitoulas gallery, Kansas City, MO

Residencies 

2008                          
Experimental Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, China

Workshops and Lectures 

2009                          
Michigan Mud: Ceramics Conference, lecture and workshop, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI

Ceramics Research Center, lecture, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Graduate International Slide Forum, NCECA, Phoenix, AZ

Ceramics Research Center, china painting workshop, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

2008                          
Experimental Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, China

Graduate International Slide Forum, NCECA, Pittsburg, PA    

Awards

2010                          
Purchase Award, Orton Cone Box Show, Lawrence, KS

Second Place, Juror: Curtis Rhodes, 2010 All Media Exhibition

Juror’s Choice Award, Juror: John Byrd, Currents: Contemporary Ceramics

2009                          
Retired Professors Award, NCECA Student Regional

The Studio Potter Merit Award, NCECA Student Regional

2008                          
Honorable Mention, National Cup Show

Purchase Award, Ink and Clay 34

Juror’s Choice Award, 29th Annual Contemporary Crafts

2008                          
School of Art Special Talent Award, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

University Graduate Fellowship, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

2007                          
The Benjamin Wong Fie Scholarship, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

De Falco Family Foundation Scholarship, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

School of Art Special Talent Award, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

University Graduate Fellowship, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Public Collections 

Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

California State Polytechnic Collection, Cal State Poly University, Pomona, CA

Periodicals

2009                          
Ceramics Monthly. “NCECA 2009 RSJE,” Jessica Orlowski. September 2009, page 44

Clay Times. Index, July/August 2009, page 6

2008                          
Ceramics Monthly. “The MFA Factor,” September 2008, p. 61              

2006                          
Review Magazine.  Reception photos: May 2006, page 25

Publications

2009                          
Access Ceramics, juried online database of contemporary ceramics,

Art Axis, juried online artist network, www.artaxis.org,

500 Ceramic Sculptures. Glen Brown, curator. Lark Books, 2009, page 53

2008                          
Surface Design for Ceramics. Maureen Mills, author. Lark Books. 2008, page 118

Related Professional Experience 

2008-2009               
Conference Assistant, 2009 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

2008                          
Workshop Assistant, Santa Fe Clay, Instructed by Susan Beiner, Santa Fe, NM

Photographer, Arizona State University Ceramic Research Center, Tempe, AZ

2007-2008               
Artist Assistant, Susan Beiner, Synthetic Reality Installation. Arizona State University Ceramic Research Center, Tempe, AZ

2004-2006               
Interior Remodeler Ferguson Interiors, Overland Park, KS

2001                          
Studio Assistant, Ceramics Paramount Arts District, Saint Cloud, MN