A creative agency cultivating healing through the arts
A Note from the Founder
As an interdisciplinary artist, my creative practice has always been varied and I have often found it difficult to communicate a through-line between the many diverse projects that I have been involved in. Even still, all of my work consists of the same core elements: art-centered praxis, often community oriented, always with a desire to offer healing, joy, and creativity to participants and viewers.
Since the beginning of my journey in the arts, faith and creativity have been intertwined for me. I would not be able to truthfully share any part of my story without acknowledging God. My faith in Jesus is at the core of who I am and from it emerges a multitude of expressions of life and creativity.
I have also found that my relationship with God motivates my interest in offering healing to others. 2016 was an incredibly turbulent year for the Black community, and like many artists I craved a way to process and heal all that was harming BIPOC. In response, I began to create projects that addressed these issues. Though the seeds for Dea Studios emerged during this time, it wasn’t until 2020 that I decided to officially launch the business. With George Floyd’s murder and the unanticipated brutality of the 2020 pandemic, I wanted to do all that was within my power to offer whatever form of healing that I could.
When I thought about what to name the business, I struggled. There didn’t seem to be just one word or phrase that really captured all that I wanted to offer to the world. Finally, I settled on my name. In full disclosure, this wasn’t entirely about me, but rather about what the name “Dea” actually means. “Dea” comes from Latin roots and essentially means a female, creative expression of God. The name seemed to embody my desire to connect others to God, to express creativity, and to signify a force of light.
Dea Studios exists to create spaces for people to connect with the divine, to offer healing experiences for broken communities, and to inspire people to live boldly and creatively in pursuit of collective healing.
- Dea Jenkins