Bio

Sisc (Sissy) Stella L.D. Johnson spent most of her youth living throughout East Tennessee, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. She currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with her husband, Ben. Johnson received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Arts & Visual Technology; Photography from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University. Originally, she enrolled in a business degree program at Mason but switched majors after taking a digital photography course with Sue Wrbican. Johnson is currently an MFA Photography candidate at Maine Media College, Rockport, ME. Her work documents personal and shared experiences through photography and text to promote respect and compassion for self and others.

In 2021, Johnson was awarded a research grant from OSCAR to bring art to unrepresented youth by teaching photography and text in alternative learning spaces. She partnered with Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court where she currently holds summer sessions teaching photography and text to youth detained in their boy’s probation house. In 2019 she was awarded a scholarship to participate in the Irina Rosovsky & Mark Steinmetz photography portfolio review, Position & Condition workshop in Athens, Georgia.

Johnson was a performance artist at The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian, for the artist, Katie Kehoe’s Artist and Climate Change (2019). She was appointed as a juror at the Regional Scholastic Arts Award, Fairfax County Public Schools (2022), and her work has been exhibited in group exhibits and art competitions in VA, MD, DC, and CA. Johnson won first place in two local exhibits in 2021 and 2019. Her work has been published in the CVPA Annual Report (2019-20) and in Artistonish Contemporary Art Magazine (2021).

Artist Statement

As a photographer, I am driven by a passion for documenting the issues that matter most to me: art for social change, women's rights, and the daily experiences that shape our lives. Through my work, I strive to create a visual narrative that sheds light on the injustices that are often overlooked and to amplify the voices of those who are too often silenced.

My photographs are not just about capturing a moment in time, but about telling a story that speaks to the complexities of our world. I believe that photography has the power to change hearts and minds and to inspire action where it is needed most. Whether I am documenting a protest or a personal moment of triumph, my goal is always to create images that move people to action.

Ultimately, my work is about connection: connecting people to the issues that matter, connecting communities to the power of photography, and connecting the world to the stories that need to be told. I believe that art can change lives, and I am committed to using my photography to make a difference in the world.