For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Bullard
(917) 340-8707
Al Johnson "the artist" creates Storyboards for After.Life feature film
starring Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson
released April 9, 2010Al Johnson, painter, illustrator, creative director and mentor has gone beyond with his artistic gifts as a storyboard artist. He has created over 300 illustrations, contributing to the look, of the April 9, 2010 released feature film "After.Life", directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, starring actors Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson.
AFTER.LIFE
What happens after we die? Is there an afterlife? It's one of the great mysteries of life and a theme that has always intrigued filmmakers. Now first-time feature director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's After.Life provides audiences with an unexpected and thought-provoking new take on these eternal questions. Fresh off her acclaimed and visually stunning short film, 'Pâté', Vosloo was ready for her next project. The short premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win a number of awards, garnering Vosloo widespread critical acclaim. The limited budget meant Vosloo only had a 25-day shooting schedule. “We all knew going in that this was a very ambitious project to be shot in such a short time. Way too ambitious,” says Vosloo. “We knew we’d have to work very fast with limited takes and coverage. Everyone worked extremely hard to realize my vision, but ultimately I knew we had to find creative ways to scale down certain things.” With these constraints, storyboarding the film was essential. “I storyboarded almost every scene,” recalls Vosloo. “They were very intricate, detailed and moody. Not only was I very prepared, but they helped us work quicker on set and were a great tool to communicate my ideas to both actors and crew." “We had very little time,” remembers storyboard artist Al Johnson. “But it helped that Agnieszka knew exactly what she wanted and had a very specific vision for the film. The boards were very precise – it was like a b&w movie on paper.”
AL JOHNSON
Mr. Johnson has been invited to exhibit in many corners of the world, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum in Japan. In addition, he created the original renderings for the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world. His fine art continues to be shown and collected internationally, as he continues to create new visions in the feature film, television and music video industry. You can view a few of his past commercial work in films such as "The Hours", “The Fountain”, the national Van Heusen commercial aired during the Super Bowl and HBO's Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, and the Chris Rock Special “Kill The Messenger” . In addition, his permanently installed commissioned portrait of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm is hung in Brooklyn Borough Hall. The lists of his accomplishments are many as he inspires and motivates those to come.
For further information, please contact Al Johnson Art at (917) 340-8707.March 20, 2010
Murriella's Corner:
Radio interview with the pulse on the international art community
Click Here to Listen
April 24, 2009
Nude Exhibition
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Click Here for Invitation
March 20, 2009
Pulse
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February 11, 2009
Innervisions of Hope
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February 2008
A Day in the Life (A Group Show)
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January 2008
Artistic Spirit Featuring Al Johnson
Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY, January 7, 2008
For more information, contact Sharlene Brown, Communications Director, 718-789-1497.
The Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA announces its first evening of community and artistic spirit featuring the renowned artist Al Johnson. The event will take place on Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 6:00-8:00 pm in the YMCA's Community Room.
Since opening its new facility in January, 2007, the YMCA Board has been working with to bring artists and their work to the YMCA, and establish the Y as a place for the communities of art, YMCA members and Bedford-Stuyvesant residents to gather. This first in a series of events will showcase a series of eleven ceramic tiles, commissioned by the YMCA, and created by Al Johnson.
The tiles are a fusion of abstract art and news/images of athletes in motion, proposing a marriage of art and athletics in the YMCA facility. Says Johnson, "May these works serve to bring attention to the athleticism of art". Adds Executive Director John Rappaport, "We are extremely proud to work with Al Johnson to add these graceful news/images to our facility, and we hope they will inspire future artists and athletes."
Following the event, the tiles will be displayed the Y, adjacent to and connecting with the existing historical tile mural that faces Monroe Street.
About the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA
For more than 119 years, the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA has been providing vital programs and services to the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Brownsville, Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Through its full-service Branch operation and six program sites, the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA helps more than 7,000 kids and 10,000 adults develop to their fullest potential in spirit, mind and body, in an environment steeped in our core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Supported in part through contributions to the Strong Kids Campaign, the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA provides membership assistance and scholarships to programs like summer camp, child care and teen activities, so that no one is turned away due to an inability to pay. Visit ymcanyc.org/bedstuy to learn more.
November 2006
Seventh Avenue Comes to Bed Stuy in Honor of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
Who: Artist Al Johnson, creator of Brooklyn Borough Hall's permanently installed portrait of Shirley Chisholm, hosts exhibition in honor Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Birthday
What: Exhibition features Xiomara Grossett, fashion designer who spent most of her career with muse and mentor, Donna Karan, including nine other outstanding female artist.
Where: Al Johnson Art Studio and Gallery
When: Saturday, November 4, 2006, 6pm (opening reception)
June 22, 2006
Congressman Towns Hosts Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Portrait UnveilingClick Here to view Shirley Chisholm article in Jet Magazine
Washington, DC - June 22, 2006--Congressman Ed Towns and the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc. will host the unveiling of a portrait of former Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, New York. The event will be held on Monday, June 26, 2006 at 5:30 p.m.
The portrait, which is a gift to the City of New York, will hang in Brooklyn Borough Hall next to President George Washington for the next 200 years. The Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1970, commissioned the legendary Brooklyn artist, Al Johnson, to paint the portrait.
"This is a great day for Brooklyn in that the portrait of the first African-American woman to serve in the United States Congress will hang in Brooklyn Borough Hall," said Congressman Towns, an advisor to the Institute. "This portrait will serve as a reminder to everyone that visits this great institution that the first African American woman in Congress represented a district in Brooklyn.
"Shirley was a trailblazer who opened the doors of opportunity for generations of women and minority politicians," Congressman Towns continued. "The hanging of Shirley's portrait in Brooklyn Borough Hall is a deserving acknowledgment to one of New York's finest public servants."
Shirley Anita Chisholm was a New York icon and committed public servant. She was born in Brooklyn, on November 30, 1924, attended Brooklyn College, and earned a Master's degree from Columbia University.
Mrs. Chisholm was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1968) and the first African American to seriously run for President of the United States (1972). The 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami was the first major convention in which any woman was considered for the presidential nomination. Although she did not win the nomination, she received 151 of the delegates' votes.
During her congressional career, Mrs. Chisholm served on the House Education and Labor, Veterans Affairs and Rules Committees, where she passionately advocated for the rights of women, children, minorities, veterans, Haitian refugees and day laborers. Mrs. Chisholm stood in staunch opposition to the Vietnam War and she was unmatched as a voice for social justice.
Mrs. Chisholm was a founding member of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and the Congressional Black Caucus. She was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), founder of the Unity Democratic Club, and a Representative in the New York State Assembly (1964-68). Mrs. Chisholm continued to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1982. She retired from politics after her last term in office.
Mrs. Chisholm has received many honorary degrees, and her awards include Alumna of the Year, Brooklyn College; Key Woman of the Year; Outstanding Work in the Field of Child Welfare; and Woman of Achievement. Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005.