We caught up with the brilliant and insightful De’von Downes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

De’von, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

“ Love Letter to Camden” is an extension of an ongoing project centered on gratitude as a wellness practice. This piece was created as part of the Transitional Arts initiative with New Jersey Transit, specifically at the Walter Rand Station in Downtown Camden. Inspired by both past and present residents of Camden, New Jersey, the project is deeply personal to me—my family is from Camden, and three years ago, I experienced profound loss. I lost my mother, my uncle, my dog, my home, two aunts, and a cousin.

When I entered this project, I wanted to create something that was more than just a visually appealing art piece. I don’t see myself as just a muralist but as a “community artist”, prioritizing storytelling and communal connection over aesthetics. My work is about taking up space with intention. I also teach emotional literacy workshops throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia, but this was the first time I felt I could fully merge my art practice with my desire to impact marginalized communities through art.

The piece itself is a temporary public art installation, consisting of a collage made from community-submitted photographs. Alongside it, I included a spoken word piece—a journal entry reflecting on the essence of love and community as experienced by those who have grown up or have very direct ties in Camden. This was my way of giving love back to my community and honoring our family’s legacy, both directly and through the broader network of neighbors who shaped me.

I don’t approach grief and love through a selfish lens. My love for Camden, for Jersey, and for Philly runs deep. These are my people, and when I create public art, I create it with them in mind. It’s never just about me—it’s about us. This project was the first time I felt truly able to weave my personal experiences, my love, and my workshop practice into my community in the most direct and tender way possible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Art is truly at the core of who I am and community is at the core of what I’m about! I am an artist , art educator, and muralist prioritizing storytelling as a way of healing and connection. I take experiences both my own and from communities I work with to create pieces that allow for emotions to flow and healing to take place. All of my work in some way have the common themes of love and growth. My work takes things as they are and we celebrate the good parts and acknowledge the room for change / growth. I an co founder of Philly Queer life Drawing which is a group running on our second year focusing on creating space and opportunity for marginalized communities to connect and build through life drawing. I teach workshops through different art mediums around emotional literacy and growing a better relationship with ourselves in community with others. I create community art pieces inspired by and collaborating with marginalized communities often silenced and misrepresented. And I make jewelry out of minerals and crystals with the intentions of healing on a holistic and vibrational level ! Everything I do is about keeping hope, love, and community alive.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Honestly, at the very beginning of my career/pursuit of becoming a working interdisciplinary artist, everything I had built myself up to be—every bit of structure I had—was suddenly shaken. My mother passed suddenly, then my uncle, then two aunts. The aunt I was closest to after all that lose just passed a couple months ago. I had to move out of my apartment, rehome my dog, and learn how to navigate family relationships and friendships without my immediate and close family members by my side. I had to learn how to survive on my own and take care of myself.

It felt like the moment I tried to grow a relationship with myself and truly invest in my craft, my life was completely upended. My old phone broke, and I lost all my family pictures. Then my new apartment was broken into and they only took sentimental things. It felt like everything I had left either disappeared or was taken from me. I fell into a nonstop “hustle” cycle that eventually landed me in the hospital—twice. Looking back, I think my mind had shut down and gone into survival mode, forcing my body to keep going until it just couldn’t anymore. When I finally got sick—when even this strong body of mine couldn’t hold me together—I crumbled. I was so defeated. I had lost so much. And I didn’t know what to do because, before all of this, I didn’t have to be this strong. I had family to lean on, even if I never asked for help. But my safety net was gone.

Everything I had built felt either too intense or completely uncertain. And yet, three years later, I’ve been blessed with new family members . I’ve learned how to truly give myself the love I so easily give to the world. I’ve learned to offer myself grace. I wouldn’t say I’m strong—I am resilient. Because every time I hit rock bottom, I call on love, on memories. I call on my family, both chosen and by blood. I even put together a show inspired but Al I’ve learned about myself since all these sudden and intense changes it’s currently at the Rutgers Camden until March 12th.

And for the first time ever, I’ve been practicing rest. I’m always trying to actively live in the present because the past can’t change, but the future can be whatever I want it to be. I just have to be here, now, to get there.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is the community you build, connect with, learn from, and interact with. Maybe I’m biased because much of my practice is centered around community art—workshops, public art, and shared creative spaces. But whether it’s an art show or a mural, I love being around people who can feel the love and actively live in it.

Community is so important to me and my work. Even when I’m painting, I’m always trying to capture the essence of who or what I’m working with. Art is also deeply healing! When you combine that with a group of people who can resonate with and hold on to those feelings, it becomes something even more powerful.

I don’t see the work I do as just creation—it’s reflection. I want to paint and create artwork that feels like the people and is for the people

Contact Info:

• Website: https://divinedownes.com
• Instagram: @downes_art & @divinedownes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downesart
• Twitter: @divinedownes
• Other: TikTok @divinedownes

Image Credits

Photos by De’von Downes
Nastassia Davis
And Steve Weinik