4 x 5 Exhibition Artists of the African Diaspora
Eleven20 Studios and Gallery proudly announces the launch of the “4 x 5 Exhibition”, a groundbreaking showcase that unites five highly collected artists of the African Diaspora, all of whom call the Lehigh Valley home. Running from May 3 to May 31, 2025, this must-see exhibition presents an extraordinary convergence of talent, featuring artists who have previously exhibited individually alongside the acclaimed Al Johnson but are now, for the first time, sharing space as a collective.
Curated by artist Danny Moyer, with co-curation by Al Johnson, the “4 x 5 Exhibition” celebrates the artistic mastery of Berrisford Boothe, Al Johnson, Femi Johnson, Anthony Smith, and Charles Stonewall. Their works traverse themes of loss, grief, repair, joy, and the profound transitions that accompany new beginnings.
“This exhibition is exactly what I thought it would be. Definitely not ‘It is what it is,’ but the greatest group of artists and circumstances that come with getting together to celebrate images and makers that are dealing with everything from loss, grief, and repair to joy and the transitions towards new beginnings. If you think you have seen this all before, you are not looking at it like I have.” – Danny Moyer, Curator
"As both an exhibiting artist and co-curator of the “4 x 5 Exhibition”, I am honored to present my work alongside a collective of remarkable artists, each bringing their mastery to this shared creative dialogue. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of exhibiting with these individuals separately, but never all together in one space—until now. This exhibition marks a significant milestone, where our artistic voices intersect, forming a dynamic exchange of ideas, technique, and expression." – Al Johnson, Co-Curator
Exhibition Details: Dates: May 3 – May 31, 2025
Location: Eleven20 Studios and Gallery, 1120 Butler Street, Easton, PA 18042
Call to Action: Art enthusiasts, collectors, and supporters of the local creative community are invited to experience this powerful and transformative exhibition. Don't miss this rare opportunity to engage with the works of five celebrated artists, witness the dynamic exchange of artistic dialogue, and immerse yourself in the narratives of resilience, transformation, and joy. Whether you're an avid collector or simply curious about the incredible talent emerging from the Lehigh Valley, the “4 x 5 Exhibition” is an essential cultural experience. Join us at Eleven20 Studios and Gallery and be part of this landmark moment in art.
Looking Ahead—The Future of the “4 x 5 Exhibition” Following this inaugural exhibition, the “4 x 5 Exhibition” is set to expand its reach, with discussions underway for additional showings in new venues and cities beyond Easton, PA. Future iterations may explore broader themes, interdisciplinary collaborations, and interactive programming to further engage audiences in meaningful artistic dialogue. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on where the “4 x 5 Exhibition” will go next.
Additional Information: More details about the featured artists, including their backgrounds, artistic philosophies, and selected works, are available upon request. For inquiries, please contact aljohnsonartstudio@gmail.com.
About Eleven20 Studios and Gallery Eleven20 Art Studios and Gallery is an artist-owned and operated creative hub in Easton, PA. Situated in a converted 1925 industrial building in the West Ward, it serves as a collaborative space for artists working across diverse mediums, including painting, metalworking, collage, assemblage, and stone carving.
For more information on the “4 x 5 Exhibition”, please contact aljohnsonartstudio@gmail.com.
Collector’s conversations.
More to come.
Al Johnson's paintings are noted as seeing through the surface in every stroke, creating an abstractive response with deliberation, like carving marble. There a filter lifts the image out of the surface using the brush like a divining rod, withdrawing energy from the canvas, and revealing the summoned image. Al was raised through a system of continual oppression, but he picked up the brush with a commitment to represent a generation of African American artists whose history were erased by systematic structures during its reckoning of the marginalized or underrecognized. Here is a man that was honored by Romare Bearden as a youth and the youngest court reporter artist of the infamous Hurricane Carter Trial before adulthood. A model of purity and artistic pursuit by his peers, Al has sacrificed everything for his artistry, family relationships and health to pursue his art. He always made space to work, even if it was breaking down a 200 lb. easel to climb five flights of stairs.
Al exemplifies a unique trait in an artist, continually sampling the culture and figuring out what works, shifting from his representational work, listed in the Smithsonian National Registry and storyboard art for Oscar-winning film, commercial, and highly regarded films to spray paint techniques and back to abstract with a range of artistic expression 2D to 3D. He’s kept his fingers on the pulse. His fortress of maturity, living life to support his career, gives hope to younger artists that their experience is typical, working the struggle. Turning self-reflection into action makes Al a unique creative voice trying to make things better. He has his eyes fixed on the future with a unique trait amongst artists being the communicator forging communities of what he believes not only for himself but what his fellow artists may need.
The challenge is so much more for African American artists who were not allowed to be creative for societal practicality while providing for a family. Al Johnson is one of the first generations of African American artists who felt permission to venture out beyond practical careers supported by generations of hard-working family members serving as a cipher of a community's aspirations. The dichotomy of Al’s upbringing encompassed his father and grandfather Jamaican-born and great-grandfather of Cuban descent, while his mom would vividly speak of the cotton plantations in the fields of North Carolina where she was raised. They too were storytellers of the African American experience.
Having his daily breakfast under a framed image of a Native American created by the artist at age 8 on a brown paper bag given to him by his Mom at a young age he rooted for the marginalized and continues to fight against conforming narratives. The brush has become his divining blood right, capturing moments with exuberant color and bold markings subversively maintaining our cultural identity.
The impulse to break boundaries plays a part in the revolutionary mindset through Al’s work exhuming generational wombs. Al lives by inspiration, knowing each day as an artist, he’s a producer. His work is recognized for its longevity, a space for timeless introspection.
written by: Barbara Bullard, author