Richard Johnston was born September 22, 1942. Johnston is a sculptor and a ceramicist. This fine talent was a member of the University of Utah art faculty from  1969 until 1990.

Johnston earned his BFA from California State University and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy in Michigan. Also an arts administrator of unique vision and capability, this multifaceted artist served a three-year directorship of the Salt Lake Art Center in which he was instrumental in the revitalization of that pivotal institution in the 1980s.

Now a faculty member and former chair of the Department of Art at San Bernardino, California, in recent years Johnston has been awarded significant commissions by the state of Utah, which provide new and needed opportunities, locally, for this three-dimensional designer's art to find important public recognition.

Biography adapted from Artists of Utah.

This fine talent became a member of the University of Utah art faculty in 1969. From California, Johnston (1942- ) earned degrees from California State University at Long Beach (B.F.A.) and Cranbrook Academy in Michigan (M.F.A.) before coming to Utah as a fine teacher of large- and small-metals classes and as the creator of minimally and monumentally inclined sculpture that is exquisitely crafted. Also an arts administrator of unique vision and capability, this multifaceted artist served a three-year directorship of the Salt Lake Art Center in which he was instrumental in the revitalization of that pivotal institution in the 1980s. Now a faculty member and former chair of the Department of Art at San Bernardino, California, in recent years Johnston has been awarded significant commissions by the state of Utah, which provide new and needed opportunities, locally, for this three-dimensional designer's art to find important public recognition.

Biography courtesy Artists of Utah.

Newspaper Articles

"Congratulations to Arts and Crafts Winners at State Fair." The Deseret News, September 10, 1989.

"Schedule of Events For First Night Celebration in S.L." The Salt Lake Tribune, December 30, 1994.

"Utah Marquee: Visual Arts." The Salt Lake Tribune, January 19, 1996.

"Wings of Inspiration." The Salt Lake Tribune, June 25, 2001.

"Winners From the 2001 Utah State Fair." The Salt Lake Tribune, September 30, 2001.

"Women Figure Strongly As Vessels for Vision." The Salt Lake Tribune, May 12, 1996.

Book

Olpin, Robert S., William C. Seifrit, and Vern G. Swanson. Artists of Utah. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1999.