For more than 20 years, Ernel Martinez has been creating murals that creatively bring awareness to social issues integral to the lives of mural-making participants and the broader public of passersby alike. Johnston is a founding member of Amber Art and Design, a Philadelphia-based organization of artists committed to creating spaces for dialogue and to effecting measurable and positive change for historically underserved communities through such projects. Focusing on collaboration and communication, Johnston and his Amber Art and Design collaborators produce work that is informed and in part physically created by those communities where the work will reside.