Cap Puppets

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Puppeteers
  • Association
  • Puppeteers of America
  • Performing art
  • Finance

Cap Puppets

Header Banner

Cap Puppets

  • Home
  • Puppeteers
  • Association
  • Puppeteers of America
  • Performing art
  • Finance
Performing art
Home›Performing art›This Kansas City- and MU-trained artist embraces black culture in graphic design | KCUR 89.3

This Kansas City- and MU-trained artist embraces black culture in graphic design | KCUR 89.3

By Anne Davis
June 20, 2022
0
0

As a young, up-and-coming black graphic designer, Kearra Johnson wants to bring more culture to her industry.

The 23-year-old started learning graphic design in his second year at the Paseo Academy of Design and Performing Arts. She had studied other forms of visual art, but graphic design just clicked on her.

“It made sense, because I’ve always had a love for games, computers, technology, and art all at the same time,” Johnson said. “The possibilities it contains are so vast.”

It intrigued her so much that she started staying after school to improve her design skills. Eventually, she went to the University of Missouri to study graphic design, using it as a way to connect with people and share her art.

Johnson began working on one of his passion projects at MU: a card game featuring iconic black people who had an impact on American history. Flip through the cards and you’ll see the familiar faces of Maya Angelou, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Michelle Obama and many more.

The Revolution card game escalated into a full-fledged product launch when she graduated. Johnson began selling the cards online and at stores like Made in KC and The Black Pantry. Then came the attention of Fast Company, CNN and NPR. His sales exploded.

The Revolution card game includes 12 iconic black changemakers.

Johnson hopes the maps will give black people representation in everyday places.

“It shows (people) black individuals on these maps,” Johnson said, “and shows them that they were powerful individuals and made things happen.”

As with the Revolution Card Deck, Johnson wants all of his creative endeavors to balance culture and identity and alter existing perceptions. She says her designs should start conversations and break down barriers.

“I would like to keep creating things that haven’t been seen and things that challenge culture, challenge acceptance of our culture,” Johnson said.

Johnson faced some discrimination in her field as a black woman, but she says she mostly felt welcome. In difficult times, she reassures herself by being proud of her identity.

“At the end of the day, if you do your best and then own your identity, I feel like you can only do good,” Johnson said.

Johnson is already creating new designs and products to help her and others take ownership of their identities. It is reorganizing its product range and took out a cup which says “Dope, Black and Favoured”.

Johnson recently moved to Denver to work with a production company called Fresh Face Media. She is on a mission to add to the creative scene in Mile High City. She says it has nothing to do with Kansas City.

“Kansas City is smaller, but it has a more abundant, black-fair creative scene,” Johnson said. “So I’m definitely trying to tap into what’s here and help elevate that.”

To follow Johnson and her work, keep an eye out for her websiteTikTok (@bystudiolo) and Instagram (@studiol.o).

Related posts:

  1. Elemental AKL Festival returns in July
  2. Local non-profit organization launches project to change the image of the southeast side of Grand Rapids
  3. Vancouver musician performing for strangers during COVID-19 shutdown
  4. Michael A. Costley, 71, Buffalo-born artist who made headlines in Palm Springs | Featured obituaries

Categories

  • Association
  • Finance
  • Performing art
  • Puppeteers
  • Puppeteers of America

Recent Posts

  • Artist Yonetsuka creates a costume for DIR EN GRAY’s “Perfume of Sins” music video
  • The production of Thalian Association of Company in Wilmington is solid
  • 2022 Performing Arts WA Awards winners announced
  • ROLLiN’ launches a series of content retracing the important dates in the history of hip-hop
  • Jason Chaffetz: Shame on President Biden’s inner circle for protecting him

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions