Perpich News

Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999) Speaks for Dedication 2024

September 16, 2024

Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999)

Dedication Day 2024 was September 16. Dedication is a Perpich tradition where new students and faculty/staff are welcomed into the Perpich community. The faculty speaker, Derek Debrauske (Science Instructor), shared his passion for science, the arts, and our students’ connection to the greater value and appreciation for the environment and the Perpich campus. Our alumni speaker, Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999), was beyond thrilled to be invited to share her poetry exploring disability, identity, and joy. Our alumni performer, Valentine Lowry-Ortega (Theater 2018), sang several original songs and wove them together with storytelling that was deeply personal and powerful.

Reflecting on the experience of being back at Perpich, Alison shared, “It’s so beautiful to be reminded how much of Perpich is in my creative DNA, whether it is the emphasis on community or the emphasis on the work process over status. So grateful to get to be with students, and to hear from them how much it means to have an alum visit who is a practicing disabled artist.”

Alison is an artist whose work explores disability, identity, and joy. Her genres and media include storytelling, creative nonfiction, installation, and collage, and her work explores gender, disability, and sexuality. She collaborates with numerous community care and art organizations, including the Fresh Eye Gallery, Strike Theater, the Wilder Foundation, Springboard for the Arts, and the Walker Art Center. As part of Mixed Blood Theatre’s 12×12 project, she created a theater piece with other people with disabilities about disabled lives. Her art is part of The Art of Disability Justice Now at Mill City Museum with Amplify MN and is supported by the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Minnesota Liberal Arts Engagement Hub and others. She speaks about disability justice and the arts. Her collage, storytelling, and essays often approach taboo topics (including disability and sexuality) in nonthreatening, inclusive ways. Her essays have been published by the Walker Reader, Mn Artists, MNopedia, and Entropy, among others. As a teaching artist she is facilitating a multi-week course on the experimental essay at The Loft this fall.

Bob Frey, Social Studies Instructor; Valentine Lowry-Ortega (Theater 2018); Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999) at Dedication 2024.

Alison Bergblom Johnson links: