>>> LANCE JOHNSON IS AN AEROSOL ARTIST, ORIGINALLY FROM NEW YORK CITY WHO NOW CALLS COLUMBUS HOME.

HE HAS A PASSION FOR COLLABORATION, WHICH LED HIM TO COMPLETE A RECENT PROJECT WITH STUDENTS FROM HILLIARD DARBY HIGH SCHOOL.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK ABOUT HIS WORK, AND ALSO THE PROCESS.

[ music ] >> WELCOME TO THE ART STUDIO, EVERYBODY.

MY NAME IS LANCE JOHNSON.

I'M AN ARTIST.

I HAVE THREE RULES WHEN IT COMES TO WORKSHOP.

ONE IS NO MISTAKES IN ART.

IT'S ALL UNIQUE CREATIVE EXPRESSION.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT MAKING A QUOTE UNQUOTE MISTAKE.

BECAUSE THERE ARE NONE.

TWO, WE HAVE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AS ARTISTS.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE COLLABORATING.

THE THEME THIS WEEK IS COLLABORATION, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AS ARTISTS.

NO CLOWNING SOMEONE FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND THREE, YOU HAVE FUN.

JUST ENJOY YOURSELVES.

IT'S LIKE AN ART STUDIO.

YOU GUYS CAN TALK.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE QUIET, AND HAVE FUN.

ALL RIGHT?

AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HERE.

>> HILLIARD DARBY HIGH SCHOOL REACHED OUT TO ME AND THEY SAW MY WORK.

THEY KNOW I USE A LOT OF WORDS OF INSPIRATION AND I LIKE TO COLLABORATE A LOT WITH ARTISTS AND THEY REACHED OUT TO ME, AND THEY SAID, HEY, WE HAVE AN IDEA, WE WANT TO CREATE A PIECE THAT REPRESENTS YOUR STYLE AND ALSO INCORPORATING ALL THE COMMUNITY OF DARBY.

I'M LIKE, PERFECT.

WE CAN DO A WALL OF INSPIRATION, WHERE EVERYBODY IN THE BUILDING ADDS A PIECE OF THE COLLABORATION, AND IT BECOMES A LEGACY PIECE FOR THEM IN THE SCHOOL.

SO I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE BRONX, GREW UP IN NEW YORK.

I WAS SURROUNDED BY GRAFFITI AND STREET ART.

I WAS IMMERSED IN IT.

I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS ART, AND IT WAS IMMERSED IN IT.

I RESONATED WITH ME.

WHEN I WAS 14, THE SAME AGE OF A LOT OF THE KIDS WE DID THE PROJECT WITH, AND MY MOM SHOWED ME A DOCUMENTARY ON THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE.

I SAW ARTISTS WHO LOOKED LIKE ME.

I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE.

I SAW ARTISTS COLLABORATING, MUSICIANS, DANCERS, WRITERS, ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERFORMERS COMING TOGETHER, CREATING, MAKING MAGIC.

SO THAT RESONATED WITH MY, AND THAT WAS THE SPARK THAT MADE ME SAY, I WANT TO BE AN ARTIST AND I WANT TO COLLABORATE.

I LOVE COLLABORATION, AND I WAS WORKING WITH A COMPANY THAT HIRED ME TO COME PAINT, AND I DISCOVERED THE CITY AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE ART COMMUNITY.

IT'S SO COLLABORATIVE HERE AND SO VIBRANT, I WAS LIKE, THIS IS AMAZING AND I DECIDED TO STAY.

I ALWAYS THINK OF CANVASES AS WALLS.

THE LAYERS OF THE GRAFFITI CALL.

THERE IS OLD GRAFFITI COVERED WITH THE NEW.

THAT IS URBAN DECAY WITH THE PAINT CHIPS AND IT'S A HISTORY OF THE WALL.

THAT IS WHAT I WANTED TO CREATE WITH THE PROJECT.

A HISTORY OF THE PIECE.

SO WE STARTED WITH LAYERS.

EVERYBODY ADDING ONE LAYER OF MARKER.

LIKE WE USE, A LOT OF SHARPIES AND EACH PERSON ADDED SOMETHING TO IT.

WHEN I SEE A CANVAS, I WANT TO ACTIVATE IT WITH MARKINGS.

SO I WILL USE WORDS OF INSPIRATION.

I WILL MAYBE WRITE MY NAME.

YOU CAN DRAW A PICTURE ON AND IT IT BECOMES THE SOUL OF THE PIECE, RIGHT?

AND WE COVER IT WITH PAINT AND THEN ADD ANOTHER LAYER TO IT.

AND THAT BECOMES A HISTORY.

THE WALL BECOMES A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL, AND THE LEGACY OF THE COMMUNITY.

THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF MY PROCESS.

ALL RIGHT.

ONCE THIS PAINT DRIES, THEN I GO OVER IT AGAIN WITH SPRAY PAINT OR PAINT MARKERS.

WE HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT COLORS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO KEEP GOING.

ALL RIGHT.

IT'S JUST A PROCESS, AND BY THE END OF THE WEEK, THE PIECE WILL BE COMPLETED.

TO ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK THAT I DO IS WITH KIDS.

RIGHT, I LOVE COLLABORATING WITH YOUNG ARTISTS, AND I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE MY PROCESS, AND A LOT OF ARTISTS ARE WORRIED ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES AND TO ME, IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM, AND I WANT THEM TO ENJOY THE PROCESS AND HAVE FUN.

HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL.

I DON'T THINK ABOUT THE FINAL PROJECT.

I THINK ABOUT THE PROCESS.

THE JOURNEY TO GET THERE.

THE MOST AMAZING THING ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST IS THAT YOU CAN CREATE SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE YOU MAY NEVER MEET CAN SEE AND BE INSPIRED BY.

ART CONNECTIONS.

ART CONNECTS US, ACROSS CULTURES, LANGUAGES, BORDERS.

I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO WALK BY IT AND SEE HOW THE COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER.

AND HOW ALL THE COMMUNITY IS REPRESENTED, RIGHT?

THE SORT OF ABSTRACTION, SO MANY DIFFERENT MARKINGS BUT YOU CAN SIT THERE AND THE PIECE WILL EVOLVE OVER TIME.

YOU CAN SIT THERE AND LOOK AT DIFFERENT -- OH, LOOK AT THAT, AND I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT, AND EVERY TIME YOU WALK BY IT, YOU WILL SEE SOMETHING NEW.

TO ME, THAT IS A BEAUTY OF IT.

AND ALSO, TO INSPIRE THE YOUNGER GENERATION.

RIGHT, YOU THINK ABOUT HOW ONCE THE KIDS GRADUATE, THE PIECES WILL STILL BE THERE, AND THE NEXT GENERATION WILL COME IN AND BE INSPIRED BY THE PROJECT AS WELL.