Tracee Johnson

Tracee Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, actively teaching in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Fine Arts department while serving as a teaching artist. She concurrently works as a project designer at Rob Ley Studio, focusing on public space interventions in Los Angeles and internationally. Her primary contact is tjohnson@otis.edu.

Her academic credentials include:

• Master of Fine Arts in Graduate Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2014)
• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland, College Park (2007)

Johnson's research centers on reimagining public space through participatory art, using play as a catalyst for social exchange and environmental connection. Her landscape architecture training directly informs installations that transform urban infrastructure into interactive community assets, emphasizing usable greenspace, sustainability, and cross-cultural collaboration as core themes.

Her notable projects demonstrate applied practice:

• Swings (2013-2020): Wood and paint installations in Los Angeles street medians
• BrightGreenCar (2013-2019): Mobile chalk canvas vehicle traversing Los Angeles
• The Tie That Binds Garden (2017): 15' x 15' collaborative installation for Mel Chin's Current:LA project
• Monteverde (2018): 12' x 18' public mural at Monteverde Institute, Costa Rica

These works integrate mixed media, upcycled materials, and community instruction to bridge art, ecology, and urbanism.