Acacia Johnson is a photographer from Alaska, focused on human relationships to the earth's Polar Regions.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Acacia is now based in Scandinavia and exhibits her work internationally. In 2014, she was awarded a Fulbright grant in Canada to pursue a project about Inuit relationships to the winter landscape of Baffin Island, resulting in the series Under The Same Stars. She is increasingly passionate about using photography to explore anthropological issues in the Arctic and Antarctica, and teaching photography workshops for young people in remote communities.
Acacia now works as a seasonal expedition guide and lecturer in Greenland, Svalbard, the Canadian Arctic and Antarctica, where she lectures on photography, Arctic indigenous culture, and visual representations of the Polar Regions. She has made over 50 expeditions to the Polar Regions both for work and personal projects.
PREVIOUS WORK: UNDER THE SAME STARS
In 2014, Acacia was awarded a Fulbright grant to spend 4 winter months photographing in the community of Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) on the north of Baffin Island. The experience was life-changing, sparking a new passionate interest in indigenous culture, sea ice and human relationships to the Arctic landscape. The photographs from Under the Same Stars have been published by numerous publications including National Geographic, and have been presented at various international exhibitions including the Anchorage Museum, the Embassy of Canada in Washington DC, the US Embassy in Canada, the Italian Polar Institute, and Gallery SYNTHESIS in Sofia, Bulgaria. Acacia regularly presents these photographs to audiences worldwide, spreading her passion for life in the Arctic, and an awareness of issues affecting remote Arctic communities. When possible, she combines her exhibitions with lectures that illuminate the stories behind the images, challenge stereotypes about life in the Arctic, and encourage young photographers to pursue their goals.
Sea Ice Stories
A project by photographer Acacia Johnson, celebrating sea ice and community in the Canadian Arctic.