DeJeonge Reese

Bursting with pride when talking about the resilience and resourcefulness of her ancestors, @dejeonge honors them with her art. Watch tonight on Fox29 “The 215” at 7pm

Continuing our conversation for Kinfolk Connections with Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist DeJeonge Reese, she shares the story behind her mosaic piece that archives the versatility of Black hair through literal threads and layered imagery. Drawing on personal memories, historical research, and cultural touchpoints, @dejeonge maps the many ways hair reflects who we are—across time, mood, and circumstance. Each braid pattern, texture, and photograph becomes part of a visual timeline, honoring traditions from pre-slavery Africa to contemporary styles.⁠ ⁠ The work is both archive and celebration, weaving together identity, resilience, and the artistry of Black hair.⁠ ⁠ Check out the full conversation on our YouTube channel.⁠

In this episode of Kinfolk Connections, we sit with Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist DeJeonge Reese as she shares how her work weaves together culture, ancestry, and archival storytelling.⁠ ⁠ For @dejeonge , art is a way to make the past visible. She’s been gathering photographs, documents, and heirlooms, some dating back to her great-great-grandmother, to create a living “brain map” on a burlap sack. From census records of relatives moving from Maryland to New York, to her great uncle’s WWII compensation form (a stark reminder of injustice), each piece uncovers stories that were never passed down. ⁠ ⁠ Her project is deeply personal and ongoing, an exploration without a set destination. By placing past and present side by side, she’s not just preserving her family’s history, she’s reclaiming it. In doing so, she challenges how Black stories are remembered and celebrates the creativity, resilience, and legacy woven into her lineage.⁠ ⁠ ✨ Check out the full conversation on our YouTube channel.

The Family Altar: Relics of the Black Church is an ongoing series following Family Follicles, exploring the church fan as both a functional object and a powerful relic of Black religious life. Once used for cooling in the pews, church fans became cultural archives—often printed with religious imagery, civil rights leaders, and Black-owned funeral home and business advertisements, holding layers of community memory and history. In this work, I transform archival family photographs and documents into church fans, bringing together personal lineage and collective history. Some images honor ancestors who are no longer with us, while others preserve forgotten or overlooked family moments and records like census documents. I chose to render these images as cyanotypes, connecting the work to early photographic practices in African American history, where the process was used for inexpensive proofs and educational documentation—an accessible way of recording Black life and culture at the turn of the 20th century. This series continues my exploration of memory, ancestry, and material culture through the lens of the Black church. #textileart #church #ancestry #cyanotype #archival

Mark your calendar 🗓️ As part of Radical Americana, a citywide initiative organized by @theclaystudiophl to mark the Semiquincentennial, InLiquid welcomes “At Its Root” and “Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial” to Park Towne Place. “At Its Root” features Colette Fu (@colette_fu ), Duwenavue Sante Johnson (@sante_artxstitch.art ), and Dejeonge Reese (@dejeonge ), who examine the meaning of origin, ideas of home, and the construction of identity, honoring the people and history that make the city. “Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial” by John Y. Wind (@johnwindart ) presents the ephemera of Wind’s art intervention at the William M. Reilly Memorial in April 2026, which brought the historic Reilly Memorial into the 21st century. Wind conducted deep historical research in partnership with the Association for Public Art (@assocpublicart ), then temporarily embellished the statues and pedestals with handcrafted jewelry and assemblages, reframing them through a contemporary lens. Please join us at the Opening Reception on Wednesday, June 3, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Philadelphia’s historic Park Towne Place Apartment Homes. This event will feature a tour of each gallery and insights from the participating artists, starting at the North Tower. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by AVANA. Join us to celebrate the opening of At Its Root and Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial in the galleries at Park Towne Place Premier Apartment Homes! Reception: Wednesday, June 3, 6-8 pm Park Towne Place Premiere Apartment Homes (@parktowneplacepremier ) 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19130 RSVP at Link in Bio Exhibitions on view: 22 May - 6 October 2026 Pictured: 1.) “Himba” (2022) by Dejeonge Reese (@dejeonge ), Synthetic braiding hair 2.) “Finding A Way Out Of No Way” (2025) by Duwenavue Santé Johnson (@sante_artxstitch.art ), Mixed media on canvas panel board, painted collage, cardboard, paper, vintage records and lanterns 3.) “Ashima” (2016) by Colette Fu (@colette_fu ), Archival inkjet pop-up book with embroidery 4.) “John Paul Jones 2” (2026) by John Y. Wind (@johnwindart ), Lenticular print

Extremely honored to be a part of the USA launch of @homofaber and that my work is now featured on their platform! ✨ Discover more about my practice, materials, and inspirations through the Guide — link in bio. Homo Faber is a global cultural movement designed to celebrate and promote contemporary craftsmanship and the diversity of makers, materials, and techniques from around the world. Presented by Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, its programs and events give visibility to craft artists globally while supporting and nurturing the next generation of makers. At the heart of this movement is Homo Faber Guide, a digital platform mapping craftsmanship across the world and connecting craft lovers, travelers, tastemakers, and collectors with master artisans and unique handcrafted work. I’m incredibly honored to have my work included among so many inspiring makers internationally 🤎✨ #HomoFaber #HomoFaberGuide #ContemporaryCraft #blackartmatters #textileart

Excited to share that my upcoming group exhibition, At Its Root — InLiquid’s newest exhibition at Park Towne Place — was recently featured in Metro Philly! ✨ The article link is in my bio. At Its Root brings together the work of Colette Fu, Duwanevue Santé Johnson, and DeJeonge Reese — three local artists exploring origin, ideas of home, and the construction of identity. The exhibition honors the people and histories that shape Philadelphia and what it means to carry cultural identity with pride. 🤎 Join us for the opening reception on June 3 from 6–8pm — RSVP through InLiquid’s link in bio! 🗓 Opening Reception: Wednesday, June 3, 6–8pm 📍 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 🖼 On view: May 22 – October 6, 2026 #AtItsRoot #InLiquid #PhiladelphiaArt #GroupExhibition #ContemporaryArt FiberArtist TextileArt BlackArtists MixedMediaArt InstallationArt PhiladelphiaArtists IdentityInArt EmergingArtist ArtExhibition ContemporaryTextiles ArtAnnouncement MetroPhilly BlackArt CulturalIdentity PhiladelphiaEvents

We’re excited to announce two exhibitions opening this month at Park Towne Place! As part of Radical Americana, a citywide initiative organized by The Clay Studio (@theclaystudiophl ) to mark the Semiquincentennial, InLiquid welcomes “At Its Root” and “Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial” to Park Towne Place. “At Its Root” features Colette Fu (@colette_fu ), Duwenavue Sante Johnson (@sante_artxstitch.art ), and Dejeonge Reese (@dejeonge ), who examine the meaning of origin, ideas of home, and the construction of identity, honoring the people and history that make the city. “Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial” by John Y. Wind (@johnwindart ) presents the ephemera of Wind’s art intervention at the William M. Reilly Memorial in April 2026, which brought the historic Reilly Memorial into the 21st century. Wind conducted deep historical research in partnership with the Association for Public Art (@assocpublicart ), then temporarily embellished the statues and pedestals with handcrafted jewelry and mixed-media assemblages, reframing them through a contemporary lens. Please join us at the Opening Reception on Wednesday, June 3, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Philadelphia’s historic Park Towne Place Apartment Homes. This event will feature a tour of each gallery and insights from the participating artists, starting at the North Tower. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by AVANA. Join us to celebrate the opening of At Its Root and Charm Offensive @ Reilly Memorial in the galleries at Park Towne Place Premier Apartment Homes! Reception: Wednesday, June 3, 6-8 pm Park Towne Place Premiere Apartment Homes (@parktowneplacepremier ) 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19130 RSVP at Link in Bio Exhibitions on view: 22 May - 6 October 2026 Pictured: “Reveries Stillness” by Duwenavue Santé Johnson (@sante_artxstitch.art ) “Plaited Cartography” by Dejeonge Reese (@dejeonge ) “What the Butterfly Dragon Taught Me: Wings of Silver” by Colette Fu (@colette_fu ) “Pulaski” by John Y. Wind (@johnwindart )

I’m excited to present my work in At Its Root, InLiquid’s newest exhibition at Park Towne Place! ✨ Join us for the opening reception on June 3 from 6–8pm—RSVP through @inliquidart ’s link in bio! At Its Root brings together the work of Colette Fu, Duwanevue Santé Johnson, and DeJeonge Reese—three local artists exploring origin, ideas of home, and the construction of identity. This exhibition honors the people and histories that shape Philadelphia, and what it means to carry cultural identity with pride. 🗓 Opening Reception: Wednesday, June 3, 6–8pm 📍 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 🖼 On view: May 22 – October 6, 2026 #AtItsRoot #InLiquid #PhiladelphiaArt #PhillyArtists #BlackArtists ContemporaryArt FiberArt TextileArt ArtExhibition ArtOpening PhillyEvents SupportLivingArtists ArtCommunity IdentityInArt BlackArtMatters WomenArtists EmergingArtists

After completing my recent installation Familly Follicles, I found myself sitting with an archive of images and documents—some unused, others I’m not ready to let go of. I began thinking about how they might live again, just in a different form. Lately, I’ve been researching the history of church fans—objects that have long been a staple in the Black church. More than a way to cool down on a hot day, they’ve carried images of Black life, honored leaders, and served as platforms to promote local businesses, events, and community information. If you know my work, you know I’m always looking to learn new techniques to expand my practice. So I’ve been experimenting with cyanotypes… Introducing a new series: Ancestral Church Fans—a working title that will likely evolve. These fans will feature cyanotypes of old family photographs and archival documents—like census records—framed by my signature braided borders. This series continues my exploration of archiving, identity, DNA, and material storytelling, while reimagining a familiar cultural object as a site of memory and preservation. Stay tuned.#textileart #cyanotype #phillyartist #ancestry #archive

I’ve been challenging myself to go SMALL—and honestly, I’m having way too much fun with it 😅✨ Not just playing with scale, but creating pieces that feel a little more accessible and easy to take home. These are smaller versions of my larger wall textiles, and most of them are wearable brooches 😁✨ For now, there’s only one mini textile (5x3), but I definitely plan to make more 👀 I don’t create with profit in mind, but it truly means the world when y’all choose to support my practice 🥹🫶🏾 These little works are officially up on my website—go take a look! THEY ARE LIMITED !!! Link in bio 💻✨ #brooch #textileart

Made my own mini hair textile piece and I’m really loving how unique it feels. Still on this forever journey of translating something so expansive into smaller, more intimate forms 😅✨ #smallwork #brooch #textileart