Jerry Johnson Creates a Little Heritage in Ashland
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Over the past few years, Ashland has been transformed into a thriving, one-stop-shop, for community and tourism. With its recently adopted motto, “Create with Us,” the city has inspired artists from all around. The once-typical stereotype of the “starving artist” is no more. In fact, local artists and artisans are anything but starving… they are thriving!
Thanks in part to their ability to think outside of the box, the determination to see things through, and the love of all things community, the city of Ashland has created a vibe of positivity and growth that has not only taken root within the city… but has flourished into a tree of life if you will. Every day, it seems we are hearing about another new and exciting addition to the city.
This past week it was announced that distinguished local artist Jerry Johnson is bringing yet another significant addition to our beautiful city of Ashland. Johnson is a self-taught painter, who prefers to use the medium of acrylic paints to bring to life his captivating works of art, which showcase African-American themes and black celebrities. Johnson has also worked as a cartoonist for Walt Disney as well as the Navy Times and has taught art at Ohio University.
At the age of 73, Johnson is now fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams of opening an art gallery. “I’ve always wanted to have my own art gallery where I can show my work off and get it seen. I’ve been saying I was going to do this for a long time, and now I can finally do it. I just love everything about art,” shared Johnson.
On October 13, 2023, Johnson and his lovely wife Doris will unveil The Heritage Art Gallery, which is located at 1520 Winchester Ave., with a grand opening ceremony taking place from 3-6 p.m. Johnson shared he hopes to have his longtime friend, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., in attendance that day. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. appeared in season six of America’s Got Talent. The Heritage Art Gallery will be open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The Heritage Art Gallery will be the first black-owned art gallery to ever grace the city limits. Johnson shared that his wife Doris came up with the name, and they hope to have other local artists help them create a diverse collection of art within the gallery. Johnson’s wife Doris will oversee the day-to-day operations of the gallery. Johnson himself will have many of his own pieces displayed within the gallery that will be made available for purchase, but he hopes to be able to include art from other local artists as well.
If you are a local artist and have an interest in having your work displayed at The Heritage Art Gallery, you can contact Jerry and Doris Johnson at 606.254.7386, or by email at
