Artist Spotlight: De’von “Divine” Downes

Meet De’von “Divine” Downes, a non-binary artist from South Jersey whose work in watercolor, public art, and jewelry explores the Black experience through folklore and nature.

A former Art Therapy student and Arts Coordinator, they lead wellness-focused workshops and create murals across the region. De’von co-founded Philly Queer Life Drawing and is a resident artist at Camden FireWorks.

They are currently the selected artist for VietLead’s Resilient Roots Farm, part of the Strength Through Solidarity initiative, which uses art as a tool for education and social change.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art practice:

Hey! My name is De’von Downes, a Black, non-binary, multidisciplinary artist dedicating their studio and public art to the belief that art is a form of healing, promoting wellness and connection across marginalized communities. I’m from Glassboro, NJ.  I noticed very early that art gave me a chance to connect, inspire, and heal with my community. My family and community always encouraged me, and I genuinely believe that’s when I first felt my art wasn’t just important to myself but to the people around me. Now I use my community art projects and shows as a way to create space to celebrate joy, to encourage, to love, to learn, and to care for one another! I’m co-founder of Philly Queer Life Drawing along with “the Peanut Butter to my Jelly” Brielle Du-Bose!

What is happening with the Strength through Solidarity Initiative at VietLead’s Resilient Roots Farm?

Here at Resilient Roots, I’m working with community members to host trauma-informed workshops centered around how community gardens and food bring us together. We’re creating a mural that focuses on produce grown at the farm and is significant to the three cultures that make up the Farm community: African American, Latinx, and Vietnamese. The goal is to create a large focal mural depicting the progression from seed to pot. To keep it educational and exciting, I thought it would be a great idea to create a matching game to help identify seeds and their corresponding full-grown plants. This way, new growers, of all ages, have a way to learn from more established community growers who selected images they thought were important to include! We just finished our last community workshop collecting information for the mural, and we’re now up and moving! I started painting about a week ago, and we’re aiming to be done before August.

Are there any challenges or successes you would like to share with us?

Our first two workshops, which aimed to build relationships and share stories, were a great success. A significant part of my work involves narrative storytelling and taking the time to learn about ourselves, love ourselves, our history, and our future. Besides joining the cohort a little later, one of the challenges I faced was language barriers among community members. I had to adjust my original lesson plan and goal for the community workshops, as everything would be translated into three languages. It pushed me to think about what I wanted to say and how I could make the workshops impactful in the same way I usually do – but without talking as much. After leading a breathing exercise, I provided three brief prompts encouraging community members to simply create.  I shared some work examples from my Assistant LoAn and, as a group, we let the art and music take over the garden for the evening.

How does this project use art for education and social change?

I don’t consider myself a muralist, but a community painter, for I truly believe that when I create art in public, it’s for the public. I ensured that I included a well-thought-out and harmonious blend of all three cultures present at the farm. I think it’s important we see each other as neighbors, friends, and family. The mural will feature a matching game that allows people to learn which seeds turn into produce. The community members chose the produce included. I believe the design we used both illustrates what happens at the farm, AND gives us a chance to learn about it interactively. Are there any community engagement activities that helped you to shape the project?

Are there any community engagement activities that helped you to shape the project?

I joined the project a little later than the other members in the cohort, so I didn’t have the chance to engage and build a closer relationship with the community members. However, the programs I’ve planned, along with my dedication to creating memorable experiences centered around art and community, have made the moments I’ve shared all the more tender. We’re planning a community paint day July 10th during which we’ll paint and provide benches for seating at the farm. I’m excited to have the mural feel like it’s extended across the whole garden!

Final comments about how working on this project has impacted your art practice?

This project honestly reminds me why I work as hard as I do and advocate for the voices of the marginalized to be heard. I’m realizing that the work I do is important because it sparks hope and love amid difficult times. At the core of who I am as a person, I just want everyone to feel seen. And as an artist, I’m granted the ability to paint people in ways that show the beauty in who we are. I started making art because it brings me joy that I have never found elsewhere, and I think that this free, pensive, flowing feeling should be shared with people whose stories and experiences align with mine—the communities often ignored.

This is also my first time working on metal directly—from priming to completion! I try to look at everything as a learning experience. Everything’s difficult in the beginning when it’s new. I’m excited to see my vision come to life in this beautiful little oasis in Camden. My work isn’t about adding beauty to the community, but about emphasizing what and who is already there!

This project is also very dear to me since my family is from Camden. It feels good to make something that’s going up in a city that’s important to my family! I take so much pride in being a “Jersey girl,” and I think it’s important to me that I do my best to keep the arts alive in South Jersey!