(MURRAY, Ky.) — Murray State University Galleries and the Department of Art & Design will showcase “Never Again,” a solo exhibition featuring recent works by artist Autumn Johnson, opening Jan. 14 in the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery.
The exhibition, which runs through Feb. 12, presents a collection of prints and mixed media drawings that explore the intersections of nature, identity and transformation. Johnson’s work challenges societal norms by celebrating examples of biodiversity that exist beyond traditional heterosexual and cisgender frameworks.
Johnson, an intaglio printmaking specialist from Long Bottom, Ohio, uses their art to navigate the tension between appearance and understanding—what is seen versus what is known. Their practice employs materials and methods that carry histories of replication and resistance, particularly printmaking techniques that allow for layering, repetition and mirroring.
“Johnson’s work invites viewers to consider nature not as fixed or binary, but as fluid, ever evolving and inherently expansive,” according to the university’s announcement.
The artist holds a Master of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University (2023) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio University (2019). Johnson’s work examines relationships between humanity, nature, gender and sexuality through printmaking, drawing and installation, influenced by both their love for nature and their desire to express their own nonbinary identity.
The University Galleries are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Department of Art & Design, visit murraystate.edu/art or follow @murraystateart on Instagram.
