Born 1951, Milwaukee, Wis.
Della Wells’ self-taught artistic practice encompasses storytelling, writing and multi-media visual art. She was born into a large family as one of eight children and recalls spending much of her childhood in libraries and museums. After spending 20 years as a clerk typist for the county, Wells had to leave her job due to injuries and enrolled in Milwaukee Area Technical College and then the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, one of her classes required her to write a research paper on an artist. At the age of 42, she reconnected with and began making visual arts.
Wells’ art is rooted in tales and folklore from her invented world, Mamboland, a place built on memories of her childhood, her mother’s stories and the powerful women from her life. Mamboland is a world in which Black women rule and have fought to be free from injustice. She describes moments and people from this land through multi-media collages, drawings and textile works. Her pieces, often inspired by art from the African diaspora, exhibit recurring motifs such as symbolism of civil rights and images from her own mythology (chickens, butterflies and fish) that stand for truths and transformations.
Wells often cites experiencing an unstable home life growing up as instrumental to her art, as both of her parents struggled with mental health conditions. Her mother often shared memories and stories of her own childhood in North Carolina, which offered Wells an escape from the instability at home and the opportunity to be imaginative.
Since turning to artmaking, Wells has become a pillar of the Black Arts Movement. She has gone on to illustrate two children’s books, collaborate with playwrights, and act as a profound supporter and mentor of the arts in Milwaukee and around the Midwest.
—Emily Q. Slavin, Intuit Art Museum curatorial fellow
