Jana Wilson

Jana Wilson grew up in Memphis, TN, in the Cleaver-esque community of Frayser. After studying visual merchandising and design at Memphis State University, Jana worked in various creative fields in San Diego, CA, Honolulu, HI, and Minneapolis, MN. Returning home to Memphis 15 years later, Jana settled into a 1901 farmhouse in the Rugby area of Frayser, where she, her husband, and two dogs juggle careers, community activism, music, artistic endeavors, and something of a hippie homestead lifestyle.

Jana began collecting memorabilia, vintage curiosities, and other items as a child, arranging them into collages and collections that expressed symbolism and relationships between the inanimate objects.

Everything was fair game: broken crayons, empty matchboxes, especially anything with “bling.” She already had the spirit of a junk gypsy. As her mother likes to share, “Jana liked to collect jewelry, then wear it ALL at once...every day!”

All grown up now, (in a manner of speaking), she has discovered the freedom of expression that comes with combining found objects into works of art. Much of the inspiration for Jana's artwork comes from repurposing, recycling, and giving new life to items that would otherwise be discarded.

Jana can be reached at janawilsoncreative@gmail.com or 901-240-4668.

Follow the artist on Facebook or Instagram: VintagiaMemphis

“Life doesn't end when we feel old, ugly, or broken...why should art be any different?” - Jana Wilson