Duncan Wilder Johnson

Background

About Duncan Wilder Johnson

A creative polymath, Duncan Wilder Johnson blends video, photography, design, music, and spoken word into an extensive career spanning decades of artistic evolution. Duncan first caught the attention of the artistic community with his hilarious and energetic spoken word performances in the 1990s. Featured on four recorded collections and receiving substantial press coverage, he performed across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Notably, he shared stages with influential artists such as Jim Carroll, Jello Biafra, Lydia Lunch, Angelo Moore, and Marky Ramone. After an 11-year process, Duncan released "Leave Behind A Groove In The Earth," a documentary about Boston hardcore band Sam Black Church, in 2016. This launched his career as an in-demand videographer. Since then, he has crafted compelling visual narratives for an impressive array of clients, including Whole Foods Market, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the Boston Red Sox. His commercial and documentary work spans music videos, academic projects, and business communications, each reflecting his keen storytelling sensibility. He currently serves the students of Wentworth Institute of Technology as an adjunct professor of video. Music pulses through Duncan's veins and has been an obsessive part of his life since his adolescence. As a musician, he collaborated and performed with the bands Destruct-a-thon, Bring The Knife, and his current project, Catching Hell. He co-produces Lemmyfest (an annual cancer benefit rock show in tribute to Lemmy Kilmister) and plays in the Motörhead cover band Iron Fisted. These musical endeavors aren't mere side projects, but integral self-expressions. Photography offers Duncan another avenue of imaginative style. His lens moves between commercial assignments—crisp headshots, dynamic event coverage, and evocative real estate imagery—and fine art photography. His current photographic series delves into the intricate emotional landscapes of human experience, often anchored by the timeless, mysterious presence of maritime environments. Rooted on Massachusetts' South Shore with his wife Jessica and their cats Mishu and Andre, Duncan continues to create from his Somerville studio within the New Alliance Gallery. Here, he nurtures his multiple passions, embodying a philosophy that celebrates creativity without boundaries.