A Missouri School of Journalism alum enhances community through artistic expression
Public art is a public good. Through the ages, the expression has had its ups and downs. To artist and Mizzou grad Adrienne Luther Johnson, BJ ’18, it’s a theme that has defined her career philosophy.
“I’m not thinking about art as a means to an end. I’m thinking about art as a way of communication, exploration, enrichment and community.”
Take a drive through the city of Columbia and you’ll likely see Luther Johnson’s work. She is one of many muralists who are literally taking their art to the streets. Luther Johnson’s work is vibrant, colorful, bold and whimsical. Near Columbia’s Flat Branch Park and MKT Trail, you can find one of Luther Johnson’s murals featuring a series of large colorful characters, dancing, playing and riding bicycles beneath the words, “Kindness creates community.”
Another of Luther Johnson’s works features bright flowers and dogwood blossoms, bringing a bit of the natural world into Columbia’s North Village Arts District.
And last summer, located on Business Loop 70, she completed a large-scale vintage-style postcard that reads, “Greetings from Columbia, Mo.” It combines beautiful colors worthy of a photo op and a hidden scavenger hunt within the mural’s borders.
It’s not surprising that it comes from Luther Johnson, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2018. Luther Johnson’s artistic style combines storytelling and community pride, as she creates portraits, murals, window art, pottery and chalk art/lettering for people, businesses and the wider community of central Missouri. And, her path from journalism to mural making wasn’t a linear one.
When Luther Johnson came to Mizzou, she planned to get a dual degree in journalism and art. After taking art studio classes, Luther Johnson realized the studio setting wasn’t the best fit for her.
“I thought I wasn’t good at school and I almost dropped out,” Luther Johnson said. However, when she got to the J-School, she finally felt optimistic about a future she could create.
“I discovered art direction as a path through Strat Comm, and I was able to kind of learn some of the skills that the art school wasn’t teaching me,” Luther Johnson said.
Luther Johnson said the School of Journalism gave her a unique edge: the ability to harness language in promoting her murals. She developed writing skills to market, advertise, and craft social strategy for her own and others’ artwork. Luther Johnson says the J-School prepared her pragmatically for a career integrating both business practices and artistry.
Luther Johnson highlights journalism faculty member Jon Stemmle as especially influential in allowing her to thrive in the J-School. Stemmle gave her teaching opportunities, hiring her as a teaching assistant for several Strategic Communication classes. Her J-School faculty connections also gave her the opportunity to contribute significantly to the emphasis area’s curriculum by implementing her ideas in the introductory strategic design course.
In her strategic communication program application, Luther Johnson detailed her love of the TV show Mad Men, and how it informed her interest in strategic copywriting and graphic design. Initially she envisioned herself in advertising agencies like Kansas City-based Barkley or the Columbia start-up company called Newsy.
The J-School allowed Luther Johnson a place to explore what she liked and disliked as she participated in both MOJOAd and AdZou, the J-School’s two in-house ad agencies. In these positions, she realized her passion lay more in promoting local, nonprofit businesses, rather than international corporations.
Through it all, Luther Johnson said the Journalism School equipped her with the tools to forge her own path while also learning from other motivated, like-minded people all working to make a difference.
She also learned that she loved the benefits and flexibility of freelance work, setting her own wages, scheduling and personal branding.
The freelance work was something she began in high school when she sold artwork in a small Jefferson City shop. Luther Johnson continued to freelance online during her years at Mizzou, and began to build those connections with local Columbia businesses as she created art and promotional materials.
However, the switch in her plan from corporate advertising to local freelancing was not without doubts.
“More so than imposter syndrome, I was constantly battling a scarcity mindset, because to be doing it independently was very scary,” Luther Johnson said.
Luther Johnson said she shed this mindset after joining a freelance collective in 2018.
Now, Luther Johnson splits her energy between commercial work, community art, and teaching kids.
“My relationship with art shifted when I started doing commercial art, like when I took on more corporate clients like Walmart,” Luther Johnson said. “I sought a balance by teaching kids because they don’t know the rules yet, so they are just playing and it keeps me fresh.”
Luther Johnson has taught art through workshops and classes at Cooper’s Landing and the Nichols Career Center.
Luther Johnson’s journalism degree remains at the heart of her work, and she says it gives her the specialized skill set needed to sell artwork, produce deliverables, and implement branding into design.
J-School courses exposed Luther Johnson to making infographics, geofencing, SEO tactics, and creating brand assets.
“I think without my journalism degree, I would not be able to solve some of the puzzles for my clients.”
Luther Johnson also has ties to a locally favorite brunch spot, Cafe Berlin. Since 2020, she has directed the cafe’s marketing, community outreach, event planning, and social media strategy.
When she is not at Cafe Berlin, you can find her painting murals around Columbia or in surrounding cities like Fulton and Jefferson City.
You can find Luther Johnson’s most recent work in the Columbia Burrell Behavioral Health center. The fantastical mural she created helps keep kids entertained before their appointments. Another notable collaboration for Luther Johnson was with Local Motion, a Columbia-based nonprofit that advocates for safer, more accessible transportation infrastructure.
“I would say the most intrinsically valuable work I do,” Luther Johnson explains, “is I elevate campaigns that I believe in.”
Updated: March 13, 2026