Joshua Johnson

M.F.A., Northern Illinois University

Joshua Johnson joined Elmhurst University as Assistant Professor in August of 2023 after many years teaching as both Adjunct Faculty and Lecturer at the institution. He currently teaches Printmaking and Foundations courses in addition to Capstone Exhibition, Drawing Studio, Art Software, and all levels of Figure Drawing. He Received a B.F.A. from the University of Iowa in Printmaking, and an M.F.A. from Northern Illinois University in Printmaking.

Joshua has a wide range of traditional 2-D skills including all major forms of print media (intaglio, relief, lithography, screen printing), drawing, traditional design, watercolor, gouache, and oil paint.

He also has skills in digital art software including the Adobe Creative Suite, 3-D Modeling programs including Blender and Sculptura, and digital drawing and painting programs such as Procreate. His personal practice primarily consists of traditional intaglio printmaking, specifically etching and engraving, along with relief printmaking, serigraphy, and drawing.

Joshua’s research focuses on the Intaglio printmaking process, where images are etched or engraved into metal plates and then printed onto paper. His thesis in graduate school focused on researching little known renaissance-era printmaking techniques and combining them with modern tools and technology. This fusion of time periods is present in the aesthetic of his imagery, which makes use of a historical visual vernacular to create narratives about contemporary society and the cyclical nature of human behavior.

His award-winning work has been included in dozens of shows within the United States, including exhibitions at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Bradbury Art Museum, and Highpoint Center for Printmaking. His work has also been shown internationally in Melbourne Australia, Tehran, Iran, and Douro, Portugal. In addition to exhibiting his work, Joshua stays active in the printmaking community by participating in portfolio exchanges. These juried exchanges invite groups of artists to create editions of prints while working under a unified theme. The portfolios are then exhibited and placed into permanent collections.

In addition to an extensive exhibition record, Joshua has taught at several institutions for well over a decade. This includes teaching summer printmaking workshops at the University of Iowa and Northern Illinois University to a variety of age levels. He has been an Adjunct Instructor at Elmhurst University, College of DuPage, and Elgin Community College. Joshua has held positions as Assistant Professor at Northern Illinois University, College of DuPage, and now Elmhurst University. He has taught a range of classes at all the above institutions in the fields of Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Foundations, Art History, Design and Art Software.

Courses Taught: ART113; ART125; ART215; ART315; ART415; ART230; ART330; ART430; ART490