Michael Johnson has been making artworks for public spaces since 1991, his first commission, for the Duchy of Cornwall, a 25-foot-high sculptural work in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, won the Birmingham Design Award and has been featured in many publications. He has now completed over 200 commissions for both rural and urban sites throughout the UK and Ireland. Clients range from national institutions, banks, property developers, to local authorities, landscape architects, community groups and schools. He has held a number of Lead Artist positions in large regeneration schemes, responsible for designing the arts input, commissioning other practitioners, and project managing the implementation of the artworks. He was the lead artist for ‘Turning the Tide’; the reinstatement of the East Durham coastline after 150 years of industrial spoil, the scheme won the interpretation of Great Britain award, achieved heritage status and was opened by the Queen in 2002 by the unveiling of one of the artists sculptures.
In 2014 the artist was shortlisted for the Marsh Award for excellence in public sculpture.
In 2020 the Mussel sculpture in Musselburgh won the Civic Award.
Although the Studios output is focused on the larger projects, smaller works, drawings and prints are made to continually feed inspiration for the larger commissions.
