How to Return Opening Reception

The Crow's Nest presents our first solo gallery show by Artist in Residence Angel Jones. This show will be up through February 21st, open on Saturdays from 1-4 PM. Please celebrate the opening with us the evening of January 23rd!

What does it mean to return to oneself, physically, emotionally or spiritually? How does radical communion impact the community at large? How to Return is a collection of paintings observing nightlife through life-sized portraiture.  Within this imagined archive, Jones considers the decolonial possibilities within “going out” and honors the longheld tradition of marginalized people reconnecting with their bodies through dance, adornment, and community. On second-hand slabs of OSB wood and found fabric, these queer, black figures navigate desire, identity, and belonging through vulnerable and authentic interaction. Through layered and contrasting imagery, clubbing’s multitudes are acknowledged - these spaces act as vessels for empowerment, escapism, hedonism, and divinity, blurring the line between personal and political. These large-scale pieces are transient portals into these venues.

About the artist:

Angel Jones is an artist & educator based in Baltimore, MD, primarily working in life-size portraiture here at the Crow's Nest. Her practice is multidisciplinary and deeply informed by her community. Originally from High Point, NC, she uses her experience of both Black Southern ancestry and queer found-family to create images exploring authentic connection and images’ role in cultural narratives. This interest follows her into her pedagogy and painting practice where she archives everyday life, honoring its subtle intricacies. A recent graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art Painting Department, she’s exhibited across the East Coast (The Kennedy Center, the Colored Girls Museum, and the Peale Museum) and works as a Gallery Assistant at Make Studio and Special Educator with the SALA/ESY Program. 2025 also marked the culmination of two fellowships she participated in, the VSA Emerging Artists Fellowship as well as the New Generation Scholars Young Artists Archival Fellowship.