I am a visual artist working primarily in clay.  My work is influenced by an upbringing in the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast, places rich in a myriad of cultures. My figurative work embraces this gumbo of flamboyance, color, soulfulness, and storytelling. I primarily work in red clay, as I have loved it since my youth and feel it is the true grit of the deep South.  I have an interest in diverse figure study without gender or race, and often think of pieces as self portraits. These figures are adorned with layered, painterly surfaces filled with marks and small moments of botanical references.  Mark making is both meditative and therapeutic, creating a sort of cartography which honors constellations, plant life, and destinations.  Lines serve as placeholders for personal experiences, including timelines and trauma.  I hope viewers think of my work as opportunities for endless exploration, much as pathways of forest trails, worlds below waters, or pages in a book.

Stacey holds an MFA in ceramic sculpture from The University of Georgia and a BFA from Loyola University.  She is a two time recipient of a Mississippi Arts Commission artist fellowship and was recently designated by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters  as the 2020 Visual Arts Award winner.  Stacey’s work is exhibited throughout the United States. She is a 2023 spring artist in residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

“With their rough, imperfect surface, in which we sense so vividly the presence of the artist’s hand at work, Johnson’s figures hint at violence and trauma overcome, and they project a profound pride and dignity.”

— David Butler
Executive Director, Knoxville Museum of Art

Gallery Representation:

The Attic Gallery
Hillyer House
Abel Contemporary
Mega Mega Mega

Caron Gallery South
Oxford Treehouse Gallery