After years away from painting, Bogalusa-born artist Jimi returns to his roots with two 15th-anniversary commissions: the official festival poster and its first-ever commemorative anniversary vinyl collector's edition.
Jimi Johnson's two 15th-anniversary commissions - the official festival poster and its first-ever commemorative anniversary vinyl collector's edition - mark a homecoming and the rediscovery of a gift that never truly left him.
Born James Johnson, Jimi spent his first decade in Bogalusa before being raised in Winthrop, Massachusetts. His talent emerged through a talented-art program and the influence of the late Alvin Carter, the respected Bogalusa artist, muralist and teacher. He later developed his craft through the Winthrop Art Association and studies connected with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Life eventually pulled him away from painting, but returning to Louisiana brought him back to the brush.
“Blues is art,” Jimi said. “You can teach technique, but you can’t really teach the blues. It comes from somewhere deeper—from what you’ve lived, what you’ve lost, what you’ve survived and what you still carry inside you.”
That belief connects Jimi to one of his greatest influences, Jimi Hendrix. Though remembered as a rock icon, Hendrix was deeply rooted in the blues: raw, expressive and grounded in life as it is. Jimi paints from that same place, holding struggle and beauty, pain and survival, movement and hope in a single composition.
Jimi also created the festival's first-ever commemorative anniversary vinyl collector's edition: true vintage records, individually hand-painted and airbrushed, numbered and authenticated as collectible works of art.
Jimi’s selection also links him to legendary Bogalusa-born artist Richard C. Thomas, who created the festival’s 2014 Professor Longhair poster and made history in 1989 as the first Black artist commissioned to create an official New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster. Based on currently available Bogalusa festival records, Jimi appears to follow Thomas as only the second documented Black artist chosen to create an official poster for the hometown festival.
For Jimi, having his name placed beside Richard C. Thomas is a profound honor. His hand-painted anniversary poster reflects Bogalusa’s music, resilience and cultural identity—and his belief that the art inside a person never dies.
ABOUT JIMI: Jimi is a multidisciplinary Louisiana artist influenced by blues, rock and roll, graffiti and lived experience. His work in oils, acrylics, pastels and metallic finishes is raw, honest and alive.
EVENT: September 25-26, 2026 • Cassidy Park • Bogalusa, Louisiana
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