Johnny Coleman (b.1958 )

The raw and found materials incorporated in this piece tell a lot about Johnny Coleman's concerns and work. In this piece he sought to unearth the stories of the African-Americans that came north with the migrations and inhabited the neighborhoods. The interviews he had with several generations of black Clevelanders are recorded and used. The materials include rusted tin gathered from fallen roofs lining the walls, collard greens growing in clay pots set in an oversized wheelbarrow, dried flowers gathered from vacant lots, found wooden door and windows, treated tar-paper, found wooden chairs, found silk ties, and the voices of African American residents emerging from among the greens. In other words, the "stuff" of the city. Johnny teaches sculpture/interdisciplinary media at Oberlin College.