Elisheba Johnson
Department of Imagination
The lottery system was once a means of survival and resource sharing in the Black community.
- June 1 - 29, 2023
- Opening: Thursday, June 1, 6:00 — 8:00pm
Before being appropriated by state-run lotteries, numbers games (as they were known) provided Black Americans with a chance at wealth, something that was regularly denied to them by systemic barriers. The money that was earned from winning or running these games was often reinvested back into their communities, providing much needed resources.
Today, the lottery preys on our desire to escape from economic realities. In Department of Imagination, Johnson critiques the brokenness of capitalism, highlighting the disillusionment of the American Dream. Her work reminds us of the resilience and ingenuity of Black communities, who have always found ways to create their own systems of support and imagine themselves out of hardship.
The exhibition includes a range of artworks, from mosaics of optimistic gamblers to a zine of number-running histories and custom-designed scratch tickets. Each piece is a reminder of the role that the lottery system has played in the lives of Black Americans and the ways in which it has been both a source of hope and a mechanism of exploitation.
Johnson’s work is part examination, part elevation, and part conversation about how Black people, during the most challenging of economic times, have found ways to not only withstand but also thrive. She invites us to consider the history of the lottery system and its impact on Black communities while encouraging us to imagine new systems of support and solidarity.
About the Artist
Elisheba Johnson is a curator, poet, public artist, and consultant living in Seattle, WA. She was the owner of Faire Gallery Café, a multi-use art space that hosted exhibitions, music shows, poetry readings and creative gatherings. For six years, Johnson worked at the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture on capacity building initiatives and the advancement of racial equity in public art. She was a member of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Network Advisory Council and has won four Americans for the Arts Public Art Year in Review Awards for her work. She holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts and currently co-manages Wa Na Wari, a Black art center in Seattle’s Central Area that uses the arts to build community and resist displacement.