Leroy Johnson’s signature house sculptures are largely comprised of found materials sourced from across Philadelphia, including clay that he sometimes excavated from the ground himself.  Layered, collaged, and painted surfaces reflect the textures of the urban environment.  Adding to the complexity of Johnson’s work are references to Black life and history, urban lived realities, and the effects of poverty, racism, and gentrification, with each work holding space for multiple truths and interpretations. This sculpture carries references to several significant moments in Black history, including the 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, the development of the Free African Society in the late 1700s, and Bishop Richard Allen, founder and first consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal church at the beginning of the 19th C.

Rather than being literal reproductions of buildings, Johnson’s house sculptures are alive with texture and symbolism, celebrating the resilience of communities while offering a poignant perspective from an African American artist who lived through the civil rights movement.  Johnson believed artists could be important activists. He participated in the Black Arts Movement in Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the Black Panther Party. He was friendly with members of the MOVE organization and its founder John Africa, His work stands as a powerful testament to the beauty and strength of marginalized communities, making his sculptures both deeply personal and universally resonant. 

Johnson was born in 1937 in the Eastwick neighborhood of Philadelphia, the city where he lived until his death in 2022. Johnson began creating art while still in high school, and he attended art classes at Fleisher Art Memorial. His professional pursuits included social work, rehab counseling, and teaching disabled youth, and he ultimately completing his MA in Human Services in 1988. Johnson’s work as a community advocate deeply shaped his understanding of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. 

Johnson’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the American Museum of Ceramic Art (Pomona, CA), The Clay Studio (Philadelphia, PA), Michener Museum (Doylestown, PA), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA). He has had solo exhibitions at solo exhibitions at Margot Samel, New York, NY (2025); Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ (2023); The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA (2022), among others. His work has been included in group exhibitions at The Approach, The Annexe, London, UK (forthcoming); Villanova University Art Gallery (1983), the Camden County Historical Society (1990), Cheltenham Center for the Arts (1996), Gloucester County College (1998), The Clay Studio in Philadelphia (1997, 1999, and 2000), the Art Gallery at City Hall, Philadelphia (1998, 2015, 2017, and 2019), the African Jazz Museum, Kansas City (2002), List Gallery at Swarthmore College (2004), Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (2011), and Tiger Strikes Asteroid (2021).


Recent Press:

Jillian Steinhauer for the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/arts/nyc-galleries-january.html

Annikka Olsen for Artnet:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/leroy-johnson-margot-samel-2597989

Julien Langendorff for Society:
https://www.margotsamel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Julien-Langendorff-for-Society-Magazine-Leroy-Johnson.pdf

Kate Mothes for Colossal: 
https://www.margotsamel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/kate-mothes.htm

Adelle Ki for Hypebeast:
https://www.margotsamel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Hypebeast.pdf​