Dan Johnson Explores Roots Through Johnson County High Carnival

Creative sabbatical brings fresh energy to the classroom

After 31 years of dedicated service to Belmont, Professor and Program Director of Design Dan Johnson took his first sabbatical last spring. The result? A deeply personal art exhibition that bridges his roots as a fine artist with his role as a foundational figure in Belmont's graphic design program. 

Johnson's current exhibition, "Johnson County High Carnival," on display in the Leu Center for the Visual Arts’ Gallery 121 through Dec. 6, represents more than just a creative era of play –– it embodies the very principles he instills in his students about the delicate balance between concept and craft. 

The exhibition transforms seven “carnival attractions” into interactive installations that explore Johnson's Wyoming roots. A haunting quote from an 1892 newspaper about the Johnson County Range Wars sparked the concept, which evolved to incorporate the sacred Bighorn Medicine Wheel and elements of Johnson's family history. Each piece invites interaction –- from a mechanical sculpture that must be wound up to keep time, to an oracle-inspired fortune teller complete with soil collected from the four cardinal directions of the Medicine Wheel. 

“As a graphic designer, concept is just one of the component parts. You have to be strong with craftsmanship. You have to be strong with quality," Johnson explained, reflecting on how his teaching philosophy influences his creative work. "The students would probably laugh if you said something about craftsmanship around them, because they know that's what I emphasize on everything.” 

For Johnson, whose graduate degree in painting preceded his decades spent building Belmont's design communications program, the exhibition marks a joyful return to fine art. “That's what makes good art –- that you've had fun with it," Johnson reflected. "In graphic design, you have to define your audience. But when the audience is just you, you can play all you want.” 

Behind the playful carnival facade, each installation is grounded in complex theoretical foundations and dynamic systems. Still, he insists these ideas shouldn't overshadow the viewer's experience: "It's more important to me that people just like the work."  

The sabbatical experience reinvigorated Johnson's teaching approach. Currently instructing various levels of design courses, including typography and design communications, he brings fresh energy and perspective back to the classroom after his time away. His emphasis on strong foundational skills combined with creative exploration provides students with the tools they need to develop their own artistic voices. 

“I want the students to know that they're playing,” Johnson explained. “I want them to have a formal foundation so that they can apply it to the things they're thinking, whatever their concept is, in a way that makes sense.” 

As the design communications program he built has become more self-sustaining, with additional faculty and resources put into place over the years, Johnson found himself able to spend more energy on his own creative practice. This full-circle moment culminated in an exhibition that's both personally meaningful and professionally enriching –- a testament to the enduring value of artistic exploration in academic life. 

Through his own creative journey, Johnson continues to model for his students the importance of maintaining curiosity, craftsmanship and joy in their artistic practice.