Willard Johnson is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores memory, identity, belonging, and cultural code-switching through painting, installation, books, objects, performance, sound, and moving image. Born in Korea and raised across Cairo, Beirut, Germany, Guam, Japan, and the United States, his practice is shaped by cultural hybridity and the idea of the palimpsest: places and histories are never fully erased, but remain layered beneath what comes next.

Johnson holds an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2015) and a BA from Anderson University. He is a studio artist at the Harrison Center in Indianapolis and serves as Art Department Director at The Oaks Academy Middle School. His research has been supported by the Lilly Endowment through the Teacher Creativity Fellowship and Creative Renewal Fellowship.