Egyptian Collar, Mixed Media: Beads, gilding, on regulation backboard, with regulation goal, chain net, found objects. Aprox: 48x27x4”, with 18"D goal

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Join us for an Artist Talk & Reception celebrating our special exhibition Love + Basketball: My Freedom Got A Rim On It with Artist Ann Johnson in conversation with Curator Key Jo Lee. Coinciding with the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco as well as Black History Month, the exhibition will present Johnson’s first-ever solo museum show on the West Coast featuring works that closely examine basketball through the lens of consumerism, materialism, success, and aspiration. The exhibition is curated by Key Jo Lee, MoAD’s Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs, who selected Johnson’s submission following a global open call for artists in Fall 2024.

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With a nearly three decade-long career, Ann Johnson has been working as an interdisciplinary artist, teacher, and community advocate in Houston, having participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Texas and across the United States. At MoAD she will be presenting a range of new assemblage, video, and sculptural works that relate the complexities of how basketball is seen as a means of social mobility within the Black community, based on her firsthand experience within Houston’s inner city wards.

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About the Artist

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Born in London, England and raised in Cheyenne, WY, Ann Johnson is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, (where she now teaches) and received a BS in Home Economics. She has also received an MA in Humanities from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, as well as an MFA from The Academy of Art University, in San Francisco with a concentration in printmaking. Primarily an interdisciplinary artist, Johnson’s passion for exploring issues particularly in the Black community has led her to create series of works that are evocative and engaging such as The Hoop Dreamin Collection. A series of decorative basketball goals that explore the social issue of a Hoop Dream. In 2023 Johnson was listed as one of the most transformative artists of the year by Black Art In America.  Johnson earned the name Sole Sister because she paints portraits with her feet. Ann 'Sole Sister' Johnson aspires to leave a legacy of challenging and thought-provoking work that will entice the viewer and inspire younger artists. Johnson is represented by Hooks Epstein Gallery in Houston, TX, and Spillman Blackwell Fine Art in New Orleans, LA.

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About the Curator

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Key Jo Lee (@keyjolee) is chief of curatorial affairs and public programs at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. In this role, Lee oversees the strategic direction for the museum’s exhibitions and programs; leads globally on identifying and promoting emerging artists from the African diaspora; and works to expand MoAD’s reach and influence locally, nationally, and internationally. She is responsible for the overall management and execution of the museum’s curatorial vision, including its exhibitions, publications, and public and educational programs, and plays an important role in the organization’s outreach, communications, and digital strategy. Lee has a master’s degree from and is PhD candidate in History of Art and African American Studies at Yale University. Her first book, Perceptual Drift: Black Art and an Ethics of Looking, was published by Yale University Press and The Cleveland Museum of Art in January 2023.

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This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Love + Basketball: My Freedom Got a Rim On It on view at MoAD February 5 - March 2, 2025.

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