Johnson Ken - Artist Profile

I am from a non-federal treaty tribe. In 2001, Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation abolishing all state recognition for tribes in Florida. This left thousands of people, and over 500 non-recognized tribes, alone and oppressed. Artists could no longer call their artwork American Indian Made, burial grounds were no longer protected, religious rights are no longer protected, child welfare act cases now go unheard, etc. Being the only feather painter in my tribe, and it now being illegal to even infer my art is American Indian Made, I now use my artwork to draw attention to this social justice crisis and to stimulate dialogue. Being an award-winning Restorative Justice author, I also now use my feather painting artwork to address the School-to-Prison Pipeline and other social/environmental/heath/conflict issues.