About Me
MY NAME IS Lori Brook Johnson.
I am one of many experiences of Appalachia. My youngest years were spent in the holler of West Virginia. I was raised early by a single mother, and I am a coal miner’s daughter. Our family was simultaneously created through and devastated by the coal mining industry; and we continuously soothe and alter the impact while creating our various lives. I come from a family and community who fought for fair labor practices in the Teachers’ Strike of West Virginia and on many Picket Lines at the Mines.
Because we hold hands with many truths; we are also musicians, writers, artists, care-takers, roller-skaters, double-dutch jumpers, multi-degree holders, landscapers, barrel racers, animal-lovers, community builders, students, teachers, professors, activists, makers, and rescuers of wounded deer. I draw into and learn from multiple realities.
I received my MFA from Clemson University. A 2018 and a 2020 grant from The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation directly led to this achievement.
I am a teaching artist in the community at Penland School of Craft, and I create my drawings at Treats Studios in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. I live in Bakersville, NC with my dog, Benicio.
Contact: LoriBrookJohnson@gmail.com
Lori Brook Johnson, Don’t Slip Back (when the body awakens to a face still numb), Graphite, Colored Pencil, Watercolor and Acrylic, 2024, 22” x 30”