Chanel Compton Johnson
Role: Panelist
Affiliation: Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture & Banneker-Douglass Museum
Title: Executive Director
Session Name: Street Art in Urban Communities – Boston, DC, St. Louis, and Cincinnati
Bio:
Chanel C. Johnson is inspired and passionate about her role as Executive Director for the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). She previously served as Executive Director for the Prince George’s African American Museum and the Education Director for the Creative Alliance in Baltimore.
Ms. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of Arts and completed a graduate degree in Arts Management from American University. Ms. Johnson has been a life-long supporter of museums; stating, “A museum can be such a powerful place. As a young person, it was my initial visit to museums and galleries that opened my eyes and mind to new perspectives, cultures, and history. African American museums are instrumental in inspiring a new generation of leaders and innovators because it is a place of empowerment, of learning, and a place of individual and collective transformation.” As Executive Director of BDM and MCAAHC, Ms. Johnson is dedicated to serving the great state of Maryland to amplify and support African American heritage initiatives, groups, and museums to gain further access to resources, partnerships, and reach new audiences and heights.
Selected awards include Pacesetter Award, Association of African American Museums (2019); Community Collaborators Award, Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (2020); Women of Influence Award, Young Women’s Christian Association of the United States of America/YWCA (2020); and the 26th Annual Fannie Lou Hamer Award (2021). Her volunteer roles include Anne Arundel Women Giving Together (member, Vice Chair of Education Committee); Annapolis Arts District (Board Officer); Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center (Chair); Maryland Humanities (Board Officer); and Afro Charities (Board Officer).
Chanel is also a visual artist, expressing Black diasporic experiences, history, and identity through portraits, abstract paintings, and mosaics. She has exhibited throughout the region, as well as internationally at the Museo Afro Brasil in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has a home and art studio in Baltimore, Maryland.
Chanel Johnson’s Short Bio
Chanel Johnson is inspired and passionate about her role as Executive Director for the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). Chanel has been a life-long supporter of museums, stating “A museum can be such a powerful place. As a young person, it was my initial visit to museums and galleries that opened my eyes and mind to new perspectives, cultures, and history. African American museums are instrumental in inspiring a new generation of leaders and innovators because it is a place of empowerment, of learning, and a place of individual and collective transformation.”
As Executive Director of BDM and MCAAHC, Chanel is dedicated to serving the great state of Maryland to amplify and support African American heritage initiatives, groups, and museums to gain further access to resources, partnerships, and reach new audiences and heights. Chanel earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University and completed a graduate degree in Arts Management from American University.
She is also a visual artist, expressing Black diasporic experiences, history, and identity through portraits, abstract paintings, and mosaics. She has a home and art studio in Baltimore, Maryland.
Professional Headshot:
