Lafayette Art Galleries - Grossman Gallery
POLYMYTHIC: The Multi-Dimensional Narrative of Al Johnson
In collaboration with ENG281 Beyond Black Literature: The Black Press Then & Now, Lafayette College
September 7, 2026 - November 21, 2026
Curated by Rico Reyes, Director, Lafayette Art Galleries
Lafayette College Art Galleries, in collaboration with the Beyond Black Literature class, presents Polymythic, an exhibition tracing Al Johnson’s versatile career across multiple artistic forms. Discover his journey from the raw realism of early courtroom drawings, such as the Hurricane Carter case, to his cinematic storyboarding for films like The Hours and After.Life. The narrative culminates in his contemporary cosmic abstractions, in which intuitive, gestural strokes seek to “transcend the ordinary.”
5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men
At a moment when Black stories of excellence, resilience, and cultural contribution face increasing erasure from American historical narratives, Black artists continue to rise as essential keepers of memory and imagination. Through their work, they carve truth into the cultural landscape—ensuring that Black voices, images, and calls to action remain visible, resonant, and enduring.
June 20, 2026 - August 22, 2026
Curated by Barbara Bullard, Cultural Producer and Derek Cross, Director of the Eubie Blake Cultural Center
The exhibition at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center brings together five artists rooted in the Lehigh Valley: mixed media artist Al Johnson, multidisciplinary artist Anthony Smith Jr., fine arts photographer Charles Stonewall, abstract artist Femi J. Johnson, and surrealist artist Rigo Peralta, and five artists who proudly call Baltimore home: multidisciplinary artist Ainsley Burrows, painter/muralist Ernest Shaw, multidisciplinary artist Jeffrey Kent, painter Jerry Prettyman, and mixed media artist Larry Poncho Brown.
Lehigh University Art Galleries
Groundbreaking Centennial Exhibition, “Here and Now: 100 years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists”
September 9, 2025 - May 22, 2026
Grandma’s Chair has been added to Lehigh University Art Galleries’ permanent collection.
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
American Duet: Jazz and Abstract Art | November 15, 2024 - January 2026
Curated from the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art
Johnson’s piece Here’s To Life was painted live at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art and is featured among several of his other works in the exhibition.
Here’s To Life is a part of the permanent collection of the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. The exhibition includes artists: Richard Mayhew, Beauford Delaney, John Dowell, Mavis Pusey, Mickalene Thomas, Sam Gilliam, Sam Middleton, and Xenobia Bailey.
Museum of the City of New York
Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100 | June 14, 2024 through July 20, 2025
Al Johnson’s historic piece The Liberator on exhibition.
