Where Light & Ink Meet
Storyteller + Performer +Public Artist
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Storyteller + Performer +Public Artist 〰️
Image by Jillian Clark
Southern (Dis)Comfort
Southern (Dis)Comfort is a short film written, performed, and directed by Johnny Lee Chapman III. The production was created during his residency with The Commons at Carolina Performing Arts. Wo Imaging served as Director of Photography.
Southern (Dis)Comfort is a detailed roadmap through the geography and lesser-known histories of the state of North Carolina, known for its easy access to both the mountains and the coast. Although the canonical recorded history may date back only to the late 18th century, when the state became one of the original thirteen colonies, the hills and waterways of North Carolina remember the oral traditions of the people that called this place home. The land is teeming with tradition and legend, some remarkable and others less appealing, but together they define our state. Southern (Dis)Comfort utilizes the medium of storytelling to re-imagine the folklore that laid the foundation for the North Carolina that we represent and know today.
Current Art Projects
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Current Art Projects 〰️
11 Local Artists Selected for New Bern Avenue
Bus Rapid Transit Stations Public Art
Artist Johnny Lee Chapman III, has created concept designs for artwork integrated into the concrete of the bus stations along the New Bern Ave Corridor. Tentatively titled Sidewalk Stories, the purpose of the artwork is to provide citizens with an opportunity to explore local history through poetry and prose. After collaborating with local historians, archival records, and community engagement sessions, Chapman fashioned a collection of pieces that highlight the significant impact Raleigh’s black culture had on the development of the city, state, and nation.
Click here for full project description.
City of Raleigh Public Art Project
The Gipson Play Plaza @ Dix Park
Johnny Lee Chapman III is working with the project consultant and landscape architecture firm, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) to create an innovative and interpretive public artwork for the Gipson Play Plaza at Dix Park. The piece, titled Another Day in the Life, is a poem paying homage to the land and those who have found their way upon it over the years. The poem will exist in two parts: as a standalone excerpt embedded into a wooden frame, and multiple metallic leaves with brief phrases will be scattered around The Yard.
Click here for full project description.
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Forged By Frost
A novel by Johnny Lee Chapman III
It’s often said college is where one's “self” is discovered. But college can also be a place where a self becomes lost between rigorous courses, extracurricular activities, social networking, freedom...and secret fraternities. As the first installment in the Illusions of Ingilaef trilogy, Forged By Frost is an introductory course to a semester of suspense, scares, and dramatic flair.
Daniel Elliott Jr. (aka June) is a sophomore desperate to carve out his identity amidst the hype-beasts and stellar students at Morrison Straight University. June believes returning to the theater is his way to make an impact, but when his acting dreams are denied, he enters a questionable compromise with a charismatic co-star. His end of the bargain? Become the newest initiate for the elite fraternity known as the Lemurian Order. With this new relationship established, June can begin to leave his legacy at the university. However, a malevolent song starts to echo with the winter wind as a sinister plot is hatched against the rising starlet...
Available in Paperback and eBook
“Who Do You Think You Are?”
Podcast Interview
Produced by S.P. the Writer and hosted at Good Trip Gallery studio in Raleigh, North Carolina.