An Abstract Alphabet: New Work by Stephen Johnson

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

An Abstract Alphabet: New Work by Stephen Johnson
An Abstract Alphabet: New Work by Stephen Johnson
Susan Earle, curator
Central Court, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Expanding on Robert Rauschenberg's playful curiosity with new materials, Marcel Duchamp's concept of the "ready-made," and Jeff Koons' modus operandi of art as readily accessible, Stephen Johnson's An Abstract Alphabet explores new ways of pulling abstractions from the real. Originally developed as a concept for a children's book in 2001, this alphabet series has evolved into a body of work that uses a range of materials and interchanges collage, painting and sculpture. For each letter of the alphabet, Johnson has taken an ordinary object and made it unfamiliar, removing functionality to reveal the metaphorical associations that lie within. The Spencer is delighted to present the public debut of this work. The accompanying book, A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet, will be published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children in fall 2008.

Exhibition images

Works of art

Stephen Johnson (born 1964), red spoon mounted on cube
Stephen Johnson (born 1964), red spoon mounted on cube
Stephen Johnson
red spoon mounted on cube
date unknown
Stephen Johnson (born 1964), pale pink wrapped piece
Stephen Johnson (born 1964), pale pink wrapped piece
Stephen Johnson
pale pink wrapped piece
2006–2007
Stephen Johnson (born 1964), pale blue wrapped piece
Stephen Johnson (born 1964), pale blue wrapped piece
Stephen Johnson
pale blue wrapped piece
2006–2007

Events

June 2, 2007
Workshop
An Abstract Alphabet
10:30AM–12:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
June 2, 2007
Workshop
An Abstract Alphabet
1:30–3:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
June 14, 2007
Social
USBank
Gallery 317 Central Court
June 14, 2007
Social
An Abstract Alphabet: US Bank Reception
Gallery 317 Central Court
June 22, 2007
Social
An Abstract Alphabet: New Work by Stephen Johnson
5:30–7:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, Front Lawn
June 24, 2007
Talk
Professor Emeritus Ted Johnson, French on "Io, Claude Lorrain's 'Idyl,' and the Liberal Arts Tradition"
1:30–2:30PM
June 30, 2007
Activity
An Abstract Alphabet!
1:00–3:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
July 1, 2007
Activity
Story time with Stephen Johnson
1:30–3:30PM
Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St
July 21, 2007
Workshop
An Abstract Alphabet
10:30AM–12:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
July 21, 2007
Workshop
An Abstract Alphabet
1:30–3:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
Episode 106 Jun-2007, Emily Ryan I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. Lawrence artist Stephen Johnson’s latest body of work is a playful collision of abstraction, mixed media, alliteration and the alphabet. A massive magenta mattress, situated beneath a mini mauve marble in the middle of the museum’s Central Court, emphatically announces the exhibition An Abstract Alphabet, and with it Johnson’s intent to explore the dynamic and varied relationships between language and culture. Amusingly alliterative labels hint at the art’s future as illustrations for a children’s book, but Johnson’s work offers something for every age, acknowledging the arbitrariness of language and juxtaposing the absurd with the overlooked. By fusing objects such as “typewritten text” “triangles” and “tarnished thumbtacks,” linked only by their starting consonant, Johnson generates cohesive works, each inspired by one letter. He incorporates everyday objects in a playful manner and creates a new way of viewing the world while prompting thoughts about language and its relation to reality. An Abstract Alphabet: New Work by Stephen Johnson is on view at the Spencer through August 5. With thanks to Emily Ryan for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.

Documents

Media Release