Mary Johnson has been Director of Education, and now Curator of Community Engagement, at Public Art Saint Paul since 2013. In this position, she directs the programs and community engagement at Western Sculpture Park as well as other educational activities. As a sculptor, she created Max Rabitat, commissioned for Western Sculpture Park in 2009. Mary is a teaching artist and has led the Youth Education Workshops planning since 2012. She has been an adjunct sculpture instructor at the College of St. Benedict and St John’s University, has taught classes and workshops at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Franconia Sculpture Park; Selby Avenue JazzFest; community art centers in Rochester, Minnetonka, and White Bear Lake; and at a host of other festivals, events, and workshops throughout the Midwest.
In her artistic practice, Mary utilizes recycled and repurposed materials for the creation of sculptural works.
Both the Minnesota DNR and Hudson, WI’s RiverFest have commissioned her to create large outdoor public sculptures made from materials gathered from river cleanups. These sculptures highlight the impact of our everyday actions on our precious public waters.