De’von Downes is a contemporary portrait artist whose work centers around the experience of someone who relates to the experiences of Afro-Indigenous and queerness. From the small college town of Glassboro, NJ, De’von briefly attended Montclair state University before transferring back to Rowan University, pursuing a degree in Art Ed. After spending four years teaching art and mentoring in after-school programming, community projects became a big part of their work, leading to their work with Mural Arts of Philadelphia and their spread of murals around South Jersey.