Meet the Artist Honoring Traditional Black Hairstyles with Incredible Braids [via Fusion]

"Shani Crowe was 12 years old when she conceived the idea for her first art show. She had gotten really good at braiding her own hair, and she wanted to create various braid styles using rainbow-colored hair and wire, then photograph them. Now, 15 years later, her idea has come to fruition with the help of 3Arts, a non-profit organization in Chicago that works to promote local artists.

Crowe’s show Braids, which opened April 8, features 10 black-and-white images of black women with intricate braids that might as well be crowns or some other form of royal headdress. “I really love the idea of making women that I know look regal, as regal as they are in real life,” Crowe told me. She handpicked the models (some of her closest friends), took and edited the photographs, and braided all of the hair. The braid that took longest to complete required 12 hours of work over the course of two days.

We spoke with the Chicago native about how she got into braiding hair, her connection with black women, and the importance of preserving black hairstyles." 

Read the rest of the story over at Fusion.