“Hair Stories” Artist Talk: DM Witman & Sean M. Johnson

At first glance, the work of exhibiting artists DM Witman and Sean M. Johnson could appear to have little in common, but themes of ritual, loss, and transcendence run deeply through both. DM Witman’s work is a poetic reflection of her deep concern over the environment and her video work depicts a quiet but visceral performance piece reflecting on apathy towards climate change. Johnson’s photographs are collaborations with his LGBTQIA+ subjects. They fashion their own final funereal portrait, a glorious self-homage, surrounded by all of the objects they would like to take into an afterlife. In this afterlife they would be free to be themselves, without suffering judgement or scorn from societal pressures to fit in. Though the topics in their work differ, they share the use of self-portraiture and ritual as a way of processing loss and grief.

Join us for an artist conversation with DM Witman and Sean M. Johnson, together with Senior Curator Francine Weiss, followed by Q&A in the galleries.

About the Artists:

DM Witman
Deanna Witman is based in Maine and has exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions at the: Klompching Gallery, Brooklyn; Maine Museum of Photographic Arts; Susan Maasch Fine Art in Portland, Maine; Uppsala Foto Festival in Sweden; Revela-T in Barcelona; Portland Museum of Art in Maine; Candela Gallery; Griffin Museum; and University of Maine among others. She is the recipient of grants from the Maine Arts Commission; John Anson Kittredge Fund; and Kindling Fund (a re-grantor for The Warhol Foundation); and was a Top 200 Critical Mass Finalist in 2018. Her residencies include: Monson Arts; Ellis-Beauregard Foundation Residency; and How to Flatten A Mountain Residency, PhotoIreland. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the University of Southern Maine Glickman Library. She earned a BS from Kutztown University and an MFA from Maine Media College. From 2016-2020 she was an Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities at Unity College and currently teaches in the MFA program at New England College and at Maine Media Workshops + College.

Sean M. Johnson 
A native of Rhode Island, Sean M. Johnson earned his BFA in studio art from the University of Rhode Island in 2004 and his MFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2008. Having concentrated on Queer Theory and Gender Studies, Johnson creates conceptual work in photography, vidoe, and performance. In the artist’s own words: “Focusing on intimacy and connections between men who have sex with men, he aims to obtain a better undersatnding of these communities through his work.” Johnson has exhibited widely and internationally. His Beard Love videos found new audiences through YouTube, becoming staples of the underground and cult film scene in several other countries and finding their way into queer film festivals and even aired on MTV. He has taught at the Boston Architectural College, University of Massachusetts, Boston, and at the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.