Gigawaabimin

Starion Bank Gallery

Anna Johnson bridges the gap between the world she lives in and the culture she came from. When she feels or experiences discrimination, she is moved to have an impact on social injustice, religion and spirituality, and other issues that Native Americans, women, and people everywhere face daily.

The imagery Johnson uses comes directly from her Chippewa culture, and she incorporates various totem animals and traditional designs. She works with a variety of media but concentrates on drawing and printmaking. She uses different media: watercolor, ink, collage, and other techniques to create layers that document her creative process. Through her collage, she employs simple texture and natural items, such as birch bark and different fabrics.

Johnson is originally from Bismarck and has lived most of her life in North Dakota. She received her BFA from NDSU in 2010. Johnson is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Most of her family members live in the Turtle Mountains in Belcourt, North Dakota, where she spends much of her free time. The natural beauty of the area continues to inspire her and influence her work.

Plains Art Museum thanks our generous PlainsArt4All members, donors, and Organizational Partners for their support. Additional support provided by The McKnight Foundation; FM Area Foundation; The Arts Partnership with support from the cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo; The FUNd at Plains Art Museum; and the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funds from the North Dakota Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. Plains Art Museum is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anna Johnson, Going Home I, Monotype on ledger paper, Courtesy of the artist