Artist Spotlight: Deja Milany Jones

A weekly feature showcasing local artists.

Name: Deja Milany Jones.

Aesthetic: A fiber artist who uses an unusual medium: hair. 

History: Even though she was born in Georgia, Jones has always considered Detroit home. She's a graduate of the College for Creative Studies and now is finishing her graduate degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work consists of multisensory interactive pieces and she often works with braiding hair and other materials commonly found in beauty supply stores, salons, and "Black femme" spaces dedicated to self-care. The materials are accessible and easy for Jones to manipulate but they also create a connection with those who have had the experience of working with and wearing them throughout their lives, she said. Jones said she remembers the joy she felt as a child with freshly braided hair adorned with beads: "I could be seen, heard and take up space just with the turn of my head."

The latest: Jones has a piece in the 2022 Graduate Degree Exhibition of the Cranbrook Academy of Art at the Cranbrook Art Museum, which runs through May 15. She'll also soon be part of Detroit's Womxnhouse Residency.

Maureen Feighan