Meet Tenesha Carter Johnson | Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tenesha Carter Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tenesha, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor to any of my success is knowing that I have a community standing before me and above me that is constantly inspiring, encouraging, and fueling me to serve as the best person possible for that purpose. My parents instilled a strong sense of compassion and discernment when approaching any situation or opportunity presented to me and, it’s because of that that I prioritize pouring into others the way my community has poured into me. I see the true power a community has to push a mission, a movement, and a motive forward and I honor that I am one of a whole world doing amazing things.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe my role as a curator is to cultivate an experience for others where they can enjoy what is bringing us all together — an innate creativity within each of us. I organized my first art show in November 2019 when I was a senior in high school. I didn’t have any curatorial experience or background, didn’t even really have a plan, but the most pressing thing to me was creating a space that everyone who entered felt important in that moment. Ultimately, that they felt seen, heard, felt, and connected to those around them. A large part of my curatorial practice and process is collaboration and outreach. Because this purpose was set for me, I know it’s so much greater than me nor is it about me but about the people I come in contact and connect with along the way who add and make these projects what they truly are. With authenticity and community always at the forefront of my mind, I always pray for the endurance and wisdom to do this work for a lifetime. Said best by Octavia Butler, “Make people feel, feel, FEEL!”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Getting acquainted to Atlanta has been such an exploration and adjustment coming from the Midwest but I’m always excited to show the richness of the city to people coming through. All my people know, the first stop is the Atlanta University Center for a walkthrough of the beautiful campuses of Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and THEE Spelman College. Around the corner from these campuses is Castleberry Hill, an upcoming arts community for weekly programming and events for Atlanta based artists and art enthusiasts. Hopefully the friend stays until a Wednesday night for a real deal jam session at Peters Street Station. I’m also a big thrifter and would love to take them to a variety of vintage stores in Little Five Points; Clothing Warehouse, Rag-O-Rama, and Drugstore.

And of course, I’d be doing a disservice to my folks if I didn’t put them on Touchdown or JJ’s wings – Atlanta’s best!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s a lifetime of people I’d like to shoutout for all that I’ve become and have been blessed to do up to date, including my family, my friends who became family, and the beautiful souls that have graced my life in most simple yet impactful ways. I want to give a special thank you to the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective for continuously being a supporting backbone to the advancement and development of students comes from across the nation, like me, entering the art world. From my first year at Spelman, to my final lap as a graduating senior, I’m honored to be apart of countless courses, field study trips, and supplemental, generative opportunities that have inspired me to be ambitious in my endeavors and always bring up those with me. I credit my peers for being my motivations and my family away from home – it’s because of them that I receive every opportunity with an astounding “yes!”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teneshaa_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenesha-carter-johnson-693514217/

Image Credits
(Portraits of self with flowers) – Photo credit: Kyle Hobson (Portrait looking at artwork) – Photo credit: Buck Lewis/Vassar College