Johnnie Chatman

Johnnie Chatman is an artist, researcher, and educator in Southern California. He is currently a Katzin Fellow and doctoral candidate in Art History, Theory, and Criticism with an emphasis in Art Practice at the University of California, San Diego. His research explores and interweaves American history, visual culture, the history of photography, and theories of landscape/ space. His research and artistic practice interconnect by analyzing the American West as a geographical, cultural, and economic crossroads defined by complex connectivity.

Chatman's work has been featured in exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fraenkel Gallery, and SF Camerawork. His work can be found in many museum collections, such as at the Center for Creative Photography, Figge Museum, Harvard Art Museums, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 2020, he was a recipient of the En Foco Photography Fellowship. Additionally, his work has been featured in numerous publications, including Dear Dave, Nueva Luz, and Zoetrope All-Story. He is also the founder and curator of Terms & Conditions, an experimental film screening series.


Upcoming/ Current Exhibitions or Appearances :
—Jan. 22nd through Mar. 29th, 2026 — Rhizomatic Intimacies: Photography from the Collection of Keith Jantzen ’80 and Scott Beth at Grinnell College Museum of Art in Des Moines, Iowa
—Feb. 6th, 2026 — Getty Graduate Symposium at Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA
—March 14 to June 28 - Erratic Fields : The Sedimentary Effect at Bread & Salt in San Diego, CA.
—Fall 2026 - Erratic Fields : The Sedimentary Effect at Centro Cultural Tijuana, CECUT in Tijuana, Mexico.