W. H. Johnson New Beginnings

William H. Johnson New Beginnings was the headlining exhibition for the grand opening of the Florence County Museum's new facility in 2014. To supplement the museum's growing collection of works by Johnson, additional pieces were borrowed from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As the museum's visual communicator, I partnered with the curatorial staff to brand, design, and install the graphical components for the exhibit and its marketing.

Florence County Museum | Florence, SC
Stephen W. Motte | Exhibit Curation
Jim Stephens | Graphic Design

As one of the most prolific African American artists of the 20th century, William H. Johnson was the focus of this retrospective exhibit, the most ambitious showcase of his works in the city of his birth since the 1940s. To brand the exhibit, we opted to utilize the artist's iconic signature, which is found on the majority of works in his collection.

We felt the use of Johnson's handwriting allowed the artist to posthumously inform the branding of the exhibition. The typographic pairing of the calligraphic title with the modernist subtitle (Futura, 1927) would not have been lost on Johnson (1901-1970), who spent a significant chapter of his life in Europe during the 1930s.

This showcase was the museum's most successful art exhibition at the time, drawing more attendance than any of the organization's prior exhibits. The curatorial team was able to assemble a collection of art that accurately represented Johnson's eclectic career while simultaneously sharing valuable, unpublished insight into his body of work as it pertained to the residents of Florence County and the surrounding communities. William H. Johnson: New Beginnings not only brought further credence to William H. Johnson's legacy as an American Modern artist, but it also served as a new beginning for the Florence County Museum and the community it serves.