August 13, 2020 | St. Lucie Cultural Alliance | Artist Member Profile – Jeanne Johansen
Contributing Writer: Laura Louise Tingo
Member Spotlight – Meet Jeanne
Art and community go hand-in-hand for Jeanne Johansen. The second-term President of The Fort Pierce Art Club, she has been involved in local arts organizations in the greater Fort Pierce area for 16 years – and this year – jumped in to serve as a member of the St. Lucie County Cultural Alliances Board of Directors.
“Artists think of art as themselves,” said Johansen, of Fort Pierce, “….but you can share art and be a part of the whole community. Whether musical, dance program, going to theaters…it’s all part of the social creativity that’s natural to people.”
Finding herself intrigued by art at an early age, Johansen took advantage of an opportunity in the mid-60s, when her parents signed her up for remedial math in a summer school program. “I said, `if I have to re-take math, then I want to take art as well,’” she recalled with laughter.
The deal was made, and history took its course, literally. That summer, Johansen learned techniques in oil painting, and stretching canvas. Though only a teenager, she also took notice of her surroundings, fascinated by the ‘statement art’ that surrounded her in her environment.
“It was a very violent time and the art reflected a lot of that,” said Johansen, recalling art movements that reflected the times, amid the Vietnam War.
It was during her teen-aged years that Johansen first witnessed art as ‘expression,’ with everything from psychedelic to graffiti, wrapped in a movement termed, ‘Art attack,’ and noticed: “Art reflects society…It was a tag on everything they felt,” Johansen said.
In the late 60s, her art education continued, with a family-move to Greece, and submersion into different ways of life. Throughout Europe, from Greece to Belgium to Switzerland, and on to Paris, she studied art, art education, and the pulse of each community and its culture. Her parents nurtured her love of art and took her on trips to explore.
“I really got plunked into the education of art,” said Johansen.
While studying art education in a French school she learned the language. “I still have my art books and I loved it,” she said. “It was great.
“Oh and Russia…I loved the art in Russia,” she added, saying that she was always influenced by the art in every country she visited. “I think everybody that goes everywhere is going to experience culinary, art, history…That’s what they’re going for.”
This belief, and practice is what drives Johansen’s community involvement in the arts today.
The proud daughter of Harriet and Howard Brenner, a native son of Fort Pierce and longtime resident, volunteered all over Fort Pierce in retirement. “That’s why I do it here,” she said, now retired from a successful career in computer programming, projects, and writing, that began with her return to the U.S. in her early 20s.
Various projects led her to the start and ultimate success, as an entrepreneur and owner of her own consulting company where Johansen enjoyed the art of writing and editing.
“And that is an art form,” she said. “It takes the same process to craft an article as it does to craft a painting…You need structure, basic knowledge, and you form it up getting the results based on experience.”
These days, Johansen, in her second term as President of The Fort Pierce Art Club, offers private lessons to artists in oils, acrylics, painting on silks, and watercolors, her expressed favorite.
She invites people to stop in at The Club’s ‘home,’ housed at welcoming Cool Beans Brew coffee shop, 1115 Delaware Ave., in Fort Pierce, to discover ways to get involved and share art with artists on the front porch.
“Walk into cool beans and find out what’s going on… you may find a project!,” said Johansen.
A variety of creative, innovative community projects are launched year-round by The Fort Pierce Art Club, a 501c3, founded in 1966. It’s tagline: We bring the arts to people, and people to the arts, says it all.
Over the years, a host of exciting projects, hosted by The Club, have raised money and awareness for fellow nonprofit organizations, and distributed art throughout the community.
One such initiative, born of Johansen’s creative think-space, included “In Her Image 2020,” an exhibition that highlighted women’s issues.
“I found old mannequins that had been discarded and thrown away…I collected them…and invited artists to a new project,” said Johansen.
That ‘collection’ led to a stunning, celebrated show of 36 adorned mannequins, displayed for a three -month run at the Elliott Museum, on Hutchinson Island, in Stuart.
Two recent community projects involved artists painting on coffee mugs, later auctioned to raise donations, and on bird houses, distributed to communities to simply spread joy, following a front porch exhibition of the exquisite volunteer artist works. Another involves a ‘Call to Artists’ to pick up and paint and canvasses, which lead to paintings distributed in nursing homes.
This year, Artoberfest returns on Oct. 17 with a move to Cool Beans, and the inclusion of a children’s art show.
“I am all about collaboration,” said Johansen. “When you see what I do with a small club, the Cultural Alliance is a bigger club pulling community resources together to promote art in the community.”
Johansen invites artists to explore all that the Alliance offers. “We know there are so many wonderful artists right next door, we want to find you.”
“Art brings people together… That’s what the alliance does! It engages the community!”
To learn more about the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance and the benefits of membership, please visit ArtStLucie.org, email: info@artstlucie.org or call 772-462-2783
To learn more about The Fort Pierce Art Club, visit www.fortpierceartclub.org.