Atlantic Ave Magazine - April 2017

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regulars ║ city people
City People
The Wizard Of Art
MELANIE JOHANSON
By Diane Feen
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Photo by melissa korman
When you look into Melanie Johanson’s eyes you
can see forever. They widen as she speaks and
illuminate the room she inhabits.
It makes you wonder if this 36-year-old woman is
as much a work of art as her occupation implies. Her
life has been punctuated by bouts of creativity with an
obsession with art.
It started when she was only eight-years-old. She
began copying Disney Cartoons in her sketch book
and progressed to summer art camps, art classes and
art excursions. Her mother Susan (a kindergarten
teacher) nurtured her daughters’ artistic curiosity
and inherent ability.
At Mount Carmel Academy High School in New
Orleans (where she grew up) she took every art
class available. But when it came to getting a degree,
reality overtook her passion. “I wanted to major
in something art related, but I wasn’t sure how to
parlay my interest in visual art into something that
would make money.”
Reality is an admirable pursuit, but it can derail us
when trying to reach our loftiest goals. In this case, it
means Johanson would have left dormant her ability
to create wizardry through art for others to admire
and be inspired by.
But we don’t have to worry about that now because
Johanson has taken up residence as Curator of the
Cornell Museum. Her gift for discovering artistic talent
and culling it together to create miraculous art
exhibits (that combine brain power and will power)
has overtaken her need for security.
And for that we are thrilled. “Melanie has a sense
for putting things together in unexpected ways. I’m
blown away every time I walk into a new exhibition
at the Corner Museum. She has brought a fresh contemporary
approach to the museum unlike anything
we’ve seen in the area,” said Brenda Zappitell, art professor
and Cornell Board member.
One example of her firecracker ability to see art as
one continuous visual orgy was the “Lit” Exhibition.
The entire museum was filled with colorful artwork
lit up by way of neon, video, fiber optics and painting.
The exhibition was a huge success and answered
the proverbial question – can a museum with a traditional
past make a sharp departure into the world of
contemporary art?
The answer was (and still is) Yes.
Attendance is up at the museum (that was built in
1913 as a schoolhouse) and the exhibits continue to
stretch the imagination though the intersection of art
and suspended reality.
Rob Steele can attest to that.
“Melanie’s ethereally fresh approach to curating
contemporary art exhibits at the Cornell Museum has
opened eyes and lifted spirits in magical ways. Her vision,
and the Cornell’s charm, dovetails beautifully to
create an unmatched experience for our guests,” said
the President & CEO of Old School Square.
Steele is right. The museum has big city momentum
and small town charm rooted in historic Dade
County Pine floors, a soaring staircase and old world
molding. Combine that with exhibits such as “From
the Ordinary to Extraordinary: Paper As Art” and you
have a center of artistic gravity that holds down the
medium with flights of fancy that uplift and inspire.
That’s exactly the way Johanson saw her mission
from the start. “I like to design exhibitions that do not
assume the viewer knows about art history. That way
everyone who comes to the Museum can be inspired
and expanded by art from different mediums.”
The result is a new patronage that spans in age
from five to 95. It also has big city sophistication in
an intimate setting that appeals to the new demographic
of Delray.
When the art is on the walls - and the burst of genius
is strewn around the energy field of the museum
- it looks like an easy task. But that’s far from the
truth. “I come up with ideas for exhibits by going to
art galleries and art fairs in New York, Miami and New
Orleans. I also save thousands of photos and blogs for
future exhibits. It may start with one piece of art that
inspires me, or a theme I can’t get out of my head.”
This has not always been the case. Johanson’s first
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April 2017 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com