Third Place Arts
Storyteller + Facilitator +Public Artist
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Storyteller + Facilitator +Public Artist 〰️
Image by Jillian Clark
Welcome to Third Place Arts, where light and ink meet.
If you’re seeking a story to whisk away imaginations, a facilitator to curate an atmosphere of innovative learning, or a public artist to design your next grand attraction, you’ve landed in the right place.
NOW PLAYING
A Day in the Life
Watch Johnny Lee Chapman read his original piece “A Day in the Life” in the Dix Park sunflower fields. The original poem will be featured in the Gipson Play Plaza and is part of the City of Raleigh's municipal collection.
Ballad of The Black Pearl
Ballad of the Black Pearl is an original work created by Johnny Lee Chapman III during the Southern Futures Festival. The festival was born from a partnership between Culture Mill and the Carolina Performing Arts Digital Commons residency. A cohort of six artists developed, organized, and hosted a three-day Art festival located around Chapel Hill that included workshops, art vendors, local musicians, and high-quality performances. Ballad of the Black Pearl incorporates elements of both recorded and live sound, choreography, and dramaturg to bring to life the tragic story of the last Neo-Atlantean.
Southern (Dis)Comfort
Southern (Dis)Comfort is a detailed roadmap through the geography and lesser-known histories of the state of North Carolina, known for its easy access to both the mountains and the coast. Although the canonical recorded history may date back only to the late 18th century, when the state became one of the original thirteen colonies, the hills and waterways of North Carolina remember the oral traditions of the people that called this place home. The land is teeming with tradition and legend, some remarkable and others less appealing, but together they define our state. Southern (Dis)Comfort utilizes the medium of storytelling to re-imagine the folklore that laid the foundation for the North Carolina that we represent and know today.
Southern (Dis)Comfort is a short film written, performed, and directed by Johnny Lee Chapman III. The production was created during his residency with The Commons at Carolina Performing Arts. Wo Imaging served as Director of Photography.
Current Art Projects
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Current Art Projects 〰️
New Bern Avenue Bus Rapid Transit
Concrete Artwork Integration
Johnny Lee Chapman III is currently serving as the concrete integration artist for the New Bern BRT project. Along with vibrant mosaics, Chapman proposed bronze stamps highlighting local historical figures, stamps displaying history through prose, and sandblasted stencils providing motivational mantras. By collaborating with local historians, archival records, and community engagement sessions, Chapman created Sidewalk Stories to highlight the significant impact that Raleigh’s Black community has had on the development of the city, state, and nation. “Original R” (above) was created in collaboration with Gabriel Eng-Goetz .
Click here for the full project description.
City of Raleigh Public Art Project
The Gipson Play Plaza @ Dix Park
Johnny Lee Chapman III worked with the project consultant and landscape architecture firm, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), graphic designer Sarah Kiehle, and fabrication company Leo Gaev Metalworks to create innovative public artwork for the Gipson Play Plaza at Dix Park. The piece, titled Another Day in the Life, is a poem paying homage to the land and those who have found their way upon it over the years. The poem exists in two parts: as a standalone excerpt embedded into a wooden frame and multiple metallic leaves with brief phrases scattered around The Yard.
Click here for full project description.
Order Now
Flux & The Void
A horror anthology.
The Void.
A dimension existing beyond man, and home to the entities. Mythical beings that entice madness in those unfortunate enough to wander too far in the dark. In his duty, Flux masterfully recollected particular instances of entities invading; the detailed entries are compiled into this collection for any curious lot. Within this anthology are five tales of cosmic horror documenting the grotesque Scleridite preying on lost children, a tooth-covered grimoire with the power of reanimation, and Mr. Aki-Ki, the digital demon waiting to spread its spawn to network servers across the nations. Perhaps after reading such horrifying stories one will learn not to meddle in affairs beyond our comprehension, lest the Void conjures an answer we did not wish to learn.
Forged By Frost
Preorders are available. The book will be released in Q2 2025.
It’s often said college is where one's “self” is discovered. But college can also be a place where a self becomes lost between rigorous courses, extracurricular activities, social networking, freedom...and secret fraternities. As the first installment in the Illusions of Ingilaef trilogy, Forged By Frost is an introductory course to a semester of suspense, scares, and dramatic flair.
Daniel Elliott Jr. (aka June) is a sophomore desperate to carve out his identity amidst the hype-beasts and stellar students at Morrison Straight University. June believes returning to the theater is his way to make an impact, but when his acting dreams are denied, he enters a questionable compromise with a charismatic co-star. His end of the bargain? Become the newest initiate for the elite fraternity known as the Lemurian Order. With this new relationship established, June can begin to leave his legacy at the university. However, a malevolent song starts to echo with the winter wind as a sinister plot is hatched against the rising starlet...
Available in Paperback and eBook.
Purchased copies will be signed and mailed to the provided address.