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M-F 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sa 10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed Sunday
Cultural Icon
Check out Elder Anderson Johnson’s episode of our Cultural Icons series! For more information on the Cultural Icons of Newport News, click here.
Learn More about Anderson Johnson
Continue learning about the legendary Anderson Johnson. A Man Inspired by God was written by Yvonne Johnson Carter Ph.D and Vernon L. Carter Jr. To discover more about his life and legacy, click the button below.
“Working in the Spirit”: The Visionary Art & Life of Elder Anderson Johnson, 1915-1998
Permanent exhibit located on the 2nd floor.
The son of a Lunenburg county sharecropper, eight-year-old Anderson Johnson was hoeing his father's cornfield when he was struck by a life-changing vision of angels. Baptized at the age of 12 by Bishop C.M. "Sweet Daddy" Grace, he began his ministry and became an attraction on the revival circuit.
In the ensuing years, Johnson traveled throughout the United States, teaching himself to draw, play piano and guitar, and preach the gospel. In his home at 1224 Ivy Avenue, he established the Faith Mission. To attract passersby, he adorned both the exterior and interior with folk art paintings.
In 1987, the City of Newport News purchased his home for an urban renewal project. Prior to the demolition, the murals and other significant pieces were preserved to become part of our permanent exhibit. Utilizing over 600 pieces of visual art and architectural salvage, the gallery at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center recreates vignettes from the Faith Mission. You are invited to enter the world of Anderson Johnson- his Zion - to view the man and his work on his own terms.
