Jump To:
Johnny Lee Chapman, III is an interdisciplinary artist from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Chapman started writing as a "Tumblr poet"in 2010 during his first year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a student in the Dental Hygiene program. In 2014, he leapedfrom the page to the stage,beginning his career as a spoken word artist. Since then, he has performed regionally and nationally and is an active voice within his Triangle community. His professional range includesspoken word performances, screenwriting and acting, facilitation of poetry showcases, craft workshops, and artist mentorship. Chapman also operates as a visual artist under the name. The Golden Momentutilizing the mediums of film and photography to convey emotion without explanation.
Chapman embraces the title of the storyteller: the one in charge of relaying historyby inspiring the audience'simagination. His art can be best summed up as an in-depth case study on the human condition in the new millennium, a genre-bender unafraid to infringeon the hidden to provide a novel perspective for all who grant him a moment. Offstage, he can be found traveling with his camera and passport, providing careto the community as a Registered Dental Hygienist ("brush all the teeth you wish to keep"), or playing a game of soccer on the pitch. A personal motto he wishes to leave with any is "Never let your ink run dry."
Photo credit: Sarah Demuth
Mark Reigelman
Artist Statements
My work reevaluates the everyday, reinvigorates gathering spaces, and engages with urban and rural conditions. These interventions attempt to reorient one’s perception and inspire a renewed collective consciousness. By favoring the process of research and exploration, I have a unique body of work poised between abstraction and literal representation, guided by a clear conceptual foundation and whimsical synthesis.It is this bold site-specific approach to reimagining spaces that I hope to apply to each artwork I create.
My artistic ethos is rooted in the notion that public art can act as a portal to other possible worlds, which viewers might traverse and inhabit. The intent is to visually communicate a narrative that reshapes aspects of a specific environment and engages individuals in new and exciting ways, urging viewers to interact with the site and one another. This framework guides the physical characteristics of the installation; placement, duration, scale, colors, processes, and materials are selected based on their ability to convey best and reinforce the conceptual narrative. To achieve this level of energy and site responsiveness, I begin with meticulous research and documentation of the local environment and site history.
