Threads of a Living Legacy: The Art of Marquetta Bell-Johnson | Opening Reception

 The ArtsXchange will honor the life and work of Atlanta artist and educator Marquetta Johnson (1956-2025) with Threads of a Living Legacy: The Art of Marquetta Bell-Johnson, on view Sept. 12 through Oct. 17 in the Jack Sinclair Gallery. The opening reception will be from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 12, featuring John Doyle's performance of excerpts from "Daughter House 5."

The tribute exhibition brings together quilts and textile works spanning Johnson’s career, offering an intimate look at an artist whose practice grew from family tradition into a distinctive language of color, texture, pattern, and layered materials.

A vital force in Atlanta’s arts ecosystem, Johnson’s reach extended from the Neighborhood Arts Center to the High Museum of Art — where her work lives in the permanent collection — as well as the Alliance Theatre, Kennedy Center/VSA Arts, and the National AIDS Memorial Quilt. After surviving a shooting that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Johnson remained fiercely dedicated to youth arts education, community collaboration, and adaptive art-making. The exhibition extends outside of the galley to include Intersectionality, an illuminated wall sculpture Johnson co-created at ArtsXchange with artist Jeff Mather; a “touch gallery” for a sensory experience; and a video montage of archived reflections from collaborators, family, and peers.

Johnson also worked closely with the ArtsXchange over the years, from teaching youth arts classes to being one of the five women featured in Cover Me, a stunning 2024 exhibition of quilters and textile artists.