Johanna Chase is a professional potter with Swedish and German ancestry, best known as the mother of actor and activist Jesse Williams. She studied at the School of Art Institute of Chicago and later earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1996. Her work has appeared in exhibitions across the United States, and since 2007, she’s taught sculpture and ceramics at Braintree High School in Massachusetts.
Quick Facts About Johanna Chase
| Full Name | Johanna Chase |
|---|---|
| Profession | Professional Potter, Ceramics Teacher |
| Ethnicity | Swedish and German |
| Education | BFA from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1996) |
| Spouse | Reginald Williams (divorced) |
| Children | Jesse Williams, Coire Williams, Matt Williams |
| Business | Johanna Chase Ceramics (founded 1996) |
| Current Role | Sculpture and Ceramics Teacher at Braintree High School |
| Known For | Being Jesse Williams’ mother and professional ceramic artist |
Who Is Johanna Chase?
Johanna Chase built a career working with clay long before her son became famous. She’s a ceramic artist who brings together traditional European pottery techniques with modern design sensibilities. Her Swedish and German background influences every piece she creates.
You won’t find Johanna posting selfies or sharing her life on Instagram. She chooses privacy over publicity, dedicating her time to teaching young artists and creating ceramic works. This approach makes her stand out in an age where everyone connected to fame usually seeks their own spotlight.
She married Reginald Williams, an African American man with Seminole heritage who worked as a history teacher. Together, they raised three sons in a home filled with art, activism, and strong family values. Their marriage eventually ended in divorce, but both parents remained committed to raising their children with purpose and love.
Early Life and Cultural Roots
Johanna Chase was born in the United States during the late 1950s. Her exact birthdate stays private, which fits her overall approach to keeping personal details away from public view. Her parents, whose names aren’t publicly documented, raised her in a family that valued artistic expression and craftsmanship.
Growing up with Swedish and German ancestry meant traditional European values shaped her worldview. These cultures both have deep histories of pottery and ceramic arts, which likely sparked her interest in working with clay. Family traditions around handmade items and artistic creation became part of who she is.
Her childhood environment taught her to appreciate slow, careful work. Pottery requires patience—you can’t rush the clay or the firing process. These lessons about patience and dedication would later influence how she raised her sons.
Education and Pottery Training
Johanna started her formal pottery education at the School of Art Institute of Chicago from 1988 to 1991. This prestigious institution gave her technical skills and exposed her to different artistic movements. Chicago’s art scene in the late 1980s was vibrant, and studying there meant connecting with other artists and teachers.
After her time in Chicago, she attended the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In 1996, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. That same year, she founded Johanna Chase Ceramics, turning her passion into a business. This move showed her entrepreneurial spirit and confidence in her abilities.
Her education didn’t stop with degrees. Pottery is a craft that demands continuous learning. Different clay bodies, glazing techniques, and firing methods all require years of practice to master. Johanna committed herself to this lifelong learning process.
Career as a Professional Potter
Johanna Chase’s pottery career spans several decades. She creates functional ceramic pieces—items people actually use in their homes. Her work combines the clean lines of Scandinavian design with the warmth and texture of German pottery traditions. Each piece reflects her careful attention to detail and respect for the craft.
Her work has appeared in multiple exhibitions throughout her career. One notable showing was the Centennial Arts & Crafts Exhibition at Providence Art Club in Rhode Island in 2001. These exhibitions give ceramic artists opportunities to display their work and connect with collectors and other professionals.
Throughout her career, she’s received various grants to advance her ceramics work. These grants recognize artistic merit and help artists continue developing their skills and creating new pieces. Grant funding isn’t easy to secure—it requires strong portfolios and clear artistic vision.
She founded Johanna Chase Ceramics in 1996, which remains her professional identity. Operating a studio business means managing production, marketing, sales, and client relationships. It’s both artistic work and business management rolled into one career.
Teaching the Next Generation
Since 2007, Johanna has worked as a sculpture and ceramics teacher at Braintree High School in Massachusetts. This role lets her share her expertise with young people just beginning to explore art. High school art teachers shape how students think about creativity and self-expression.
Teaching high school requires different skills than creating in a studio. You need patience, clear communication, and the ability to inspire teenagers. Johanna brings her decades of experience to these students, showing them both technical skills and the mindset needed for artistic work.
Her classroom likely smells of clay and features shelves of student projects in various stages of completion. She teaches hand-building techniques, wheel throwing, glazing, and firing. Each student learns that mistakes are part of the process and that good work takes time.
Former students probably remember her as the teacher who actually knew what she was talking about—not just someone teaching from a textbook, but a working artist with years of real experience. That authenticity matters in education.
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Marriage to Reginald Williams
Johanna married Reginald Williams, creating a multicultural family that would profoundly influence their children. Reginald is African American with Seminole ancestry, originally from Georgia. Before retirement, he worked as a high school history teacher and later as a guidance counselor.
Their marriage brought together different cultural perspectives and traditions. Johanna’s Swedish-German background met Reginald’s African American and Seminole heritage. This combination gave their children access to multiple cultural identities and worldviews.
Both parents valued education deeply. Reginald taught history, helping students understand how the past shapes the present. Johanna taught through art, showing students how creativity and skill combine to make something beautiful. Their shared commitment to teaching influenced how they raised their sons.
The couple eventually divorced after having their third child. The exact timing and reasons remain private, as both parents keep their personal lives away from media attention. Despite the divorce, they maintained a co-parenting relationship focused on their children’s wellbeing.
Three Sons, Three Different Paths
Johanna and Reginald raised three sons, each taking their creativity in different directions. Their parenting approach emphasized artistic expression, education, and social awareness. The results show in all three adult children.
Jesse Williams, born August 5, 1981, is the eldest. He attended Temple University, where he double-majored in African American Studies and Film and Media Arts. Before acting, he taught high school for six years in Philadelphia. He’s now famous for playing Dr. Jackson Avery on “Grey’s Anatomy” and for his social activism.
Coire Williams, the middle son, works in landscape design. He runs Lightwell Landscaping in East Orange, New Jersey. His work includes landscaping, woodwork, dry stonework, building decks, furniture, and boats. He also works as a firefighter, serving his community in multiple ways.
Matt Williams, the youngest, goes by the nickname “Uberkraaft” in his professional life. He graduated from the Pratt Institute in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design. He later earned his Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from The School of Visual Arts. He specializes in editorial and advertising illustrations and animation, and now teaches as a Professor of Illustrations.
Raising Jesse Williams
Jesse often credits both parents for shaping his worldview and passion for justice. Growing up in Chicago, Jesse experienced a community where activism and social justice movements were part of daily life. His parents actively participated in these movements, teaching him that speaking up matters.
The family later moved to suburban Massachusetts when Jesse entered junior high. This relocation changed his experience dramatically. He went from a diverse Chicago neighborhood to a predominantly white suburb. The contrast taught him about race from both sides of the equation.
Johanna’s influence on Jesse shows in multiple ways. She introduced him to art early, letting him experiment with clay and paint in her studio. This hands-on creativity taught him to express himself and think through problems. She encouraged his interest in acting and supported his decision to study film and media arts.
Jesse remembers his mother as someone who challenged him to think critically about the world. She didn’t just tell him what to think—she taught him how to analyze situations and form his own conclusions. This approach prepared him for both acting and activism.
In his 2016 BET Humanitarian Award acceptance speech, Jesse publicly acknowledged his parents’ influence. He spoke about racial injustice and police brutality, topics his parents had discussed with him since childhood. The speech went viral and sparked important conversations about race in America.
The 2016 BET Awards Moment
When Jesse Williams received the BET Humanitarian Award in 2016, Johanna attended the ceremony. She watched her son deliver a powerful speech about racial justice that would be quoted and analyzed for years afterward. His words about systemic racism and the need for action resonated far beyond that night.
Johanna’s presence at major moments in Jesse’s career shows her continued support. Even though she avoids publicity, she shows up for her children when it matters. These appearances are rare but meaningful, highlighting the close bond between mother and son.
The speech Jesse gave that night reflected values Johanna and Reginald instilled in him decades earlier. They taught him to care about people beyond his immediate circle, to question unfair systems, and to use whatever platform he gained for good. The humanitarian award recognized not just Jesse’s activism, but the foundation his parents built.
Life Away From the Spotlight
Unlike many celebrity parents who leverage their children’s fame for their own attention, Johanna maintains her private life. She doesn’t give interviews, doesn’t appear on talk shows, and doesn’t share her thoughts on social media. This choice shows remarkable discipline in today’s attention-driven culture.
Her decision to stay private protects her own identity. She remains Johanna Chase, the potter and teacher, rather than becoming “Jesse Williams’ mom” in all contexts. This separation allows her to continue her work without constant intrusion.
She focuses on what matters to her: creating art, teaching students, and maintaining relationships with her family. These priorities don’t require public validation or social media followers. Her satisfaction comes from the work itself and the students she influences.
Work-Life Balance and Values
Balancing a full-time teaching job with her own ceramic practice requires strong time management. Teachers work long hours, often taking work home. Adding artistic production on top of that schedule shows dedication to both callings.
Johanna proved you can raise successful children while pursuing your own career. She didn’t sacrifice her artistic identity to be only a mother, nor did she neglect her children for her career. This balance matters because it shows her sons that people can have multiple important roles in life.
Her Swedish and German cultural background likely influenced her approach to work and family. Both cultures value craftsmanship, education, and strong family structures. These values appear throughout how she’s lived her life and raised her children.
The Artistic Legacy
Johanna’s pottery work continues independently of her son’s fame. Her ceramic pieces exist in private collections and homes around the United States. People buy them because they’re well-made and beautiful, not because of any celebrity connection.
Her teaching at Braintree High School touches hundreds of students over the years. Some of these students will pursue art professionally. Others will simply carry an appreciation for handmade objects and creative work. Both outcomes matter.
The intersection of her artistic work and her parenting created an environment where all three sons pursued creative fields. Jesse acts and produces films. Coire creates landscapes and builds things with his hands. Matt designs and illustrates. The common thread is making things that didn’t exist before—a value Johanna clearly passed on.
Net Worth and Financial Privacy
Johanna Chase’s exact net worth isn’t publicly documented. She earns income from teaching, pottery sales, and potentially from past grants and exhibitions. High school teachers in Massachusetts earn moderate salaries, and selling ceramic art adds supplemental income.
Her financial situation differs dramatically from her son Jesse’s. Jesse Williams has an estimated net worth of $15 million from his television and film career. This wealth gap exists in many families where children surpass their parents financially. What matters more is the foundation Johanna provided that helped Jesse achieve that success.
Money has never appeared to be Johanna’s primary motivation. Her career choices—artist and teacher—rarely lead to wealth. She chose them anyway because they aligned with her values and interests. This lesson about following your passion probably influenced her sons more than any discussion about money ever could.
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What Makes Johanna Different?
Most celebrity parents eventually give interviews, write books, or launch social media accounts about raising famous children. Johanna does none of these things. Her refusal to capitalize on her son’s fame shows character and principle.
She represents a generation that valued privacy before social media changed cultural expectations. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, she learned to keep personal matters personal. She’s maintained this approach despite modern pressure to share everything online.
Her dedication to craft over fame sets her apart. She’s spent decades perfecting her pottery skills, teaching students, and creating beautiful objects. This quiet excellence deserves recognition even though she never seeks it.
Looking Forward
Johanna continues teaching at Braintree High School, where she likely plans to work until retirement. Her impact there compounds annually as new students learn from her experience and expertise. Some former students probably keep pieces they made in her class, tangible reminders of their time learning from her.
Her pottery practice will likely continue as long as her hands and health allow. Artists rarely retire completely—the need to create doesn’t disappear with age. She’ll probably continue making ceramics for personal satisfaction even if she eventually closes her business.
Her three sons are now adults building their own lives and legacies. She gets to watch them succeed in their chosen fields, knowing she provided the foundation for those successes. This satisfaction probably exceeds any public recognition she could receive.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does Johanna Chase do for a living?
Johanna Chase works as a professional potter and ceramics teacher at Braintree High School in Massachusetts. She’s taught there since 2007, sharing her expertise with high school students. She also creates and sells ceramic pieces through her business, Johanna Chase Ceramics, which she founded in 1996.
2. What is Johanna Chase’s ethnic background?
Johanna has Swedish and German ancestry, which influences her artistic style and personal values. Her European heritage brought traditional craftsmanship values into her family. Her husband Reginald Williams brought African American and Seminole heritage, creating a multicultural family environment.
3. How many children does Johanna Chase have?
Johanna has three sons with her former husband Reginald Williams. Jesse Williams is the eldest, born in 1981. Coire Williams works in landscape design and firefighting. Matt Williams is an illustrator and design professor. All three sons work in creative fields.
4. Where did Johanna Chase study pottery?
Johanna studied at the School of Art Institute of Chicago from 1988 to 1991, then earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1996. Her formal education gave her the technical foundation for her pottery career. She continues learning through her practice and teaching.
5. Is Johanna Chase active on social media?
No, Johanna Chase doesn’t maintain public social media accounts. She chooses privacy over online presence, focusing on her art and teaching instead. This decision contrasts with her son Jesse, who actively uses social media for activism and connecting with fans. Her absence from social platforms is intentional and consistent with her private lifestyle.
