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Jasmine Ross is a multi-media artist based in Oakland, California, and a recent graduate ofYale College, where she earned a B.A. in Ethics,Politics, and Economics, and Art. Her fine-arts documentary photography explores themes of identity politics, intergenerationalmemory, and fictive kinship, reflecting her perspective as a bi-racial Black woman. Workingprimarily with large format cameras,Ross embraces the slow, deliberate nature of analogimage-making. Her practice grounds itself in honoring community-builders, and ensuringtheir contributions are acknowledged within their lifetimes. Her work has been featured inthe L.A. Times and exhibitions such as Tell It Slant at the Yale School of Art.

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About the Exhibition

Beauty Plus commemorates the closure of the 31 year-old, second Black-owned beauty supply in New Haven, Connecticut. Over three months, Ross documented the store?s final days with her 4 x 5 film camera, honoring owner Mel, while revealing a layered narrative of small business ownership, communal care, and Black survival. Though these spaces provide empowerment and access, they also reflect the commodification of Black bodies, highlighting the tension between liberation and dependency. Brands like Motions and Posner, though not Black-owned, similarly shaped Black beauty rituals, demonstrating the complicated economics of cultural identity: affirmed, yet often monetized and challenged by outsiders.

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Tickets to visit MoAD and view the exhibitions: