Rosa Johnson, 'The Queen Mother of Braids,' and her hairstyling journey on exhibit in Winston-Salem

Rosa “Malikia” Johnson has been called “The Queen Mother of Braids” through her unique hair design work with renowned artists including Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and many others. For the past 20 years or so, Johnson has called Winston-Salem home, and now a photographic journey of her life and work titled “Straw into Gold” is on display at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. WFDD’s David Ford recently spoke with her by phone.

Interview Highlights

On the influence of African traditions on her art:

"You could look at a person’s hairstyle and tell whether they were married, if the woman had a son, and the same with cloth. Like kente cloth was worn by wealthy Africans. You would see amber and ivory and gold in the people’s hair. A lot of this ornamentation really signified their social standing within the community."

On the importance of hairstyle within the African American community:

"It’s so important because it shows our identity as to who we are. We are not necessarily trying to emulate someone else. We are relying on our own creativity, on our own hair. For so long, we weren’t allowed to show our hair."

On working with Stevie Wonder over many years:

"It would take anywhere from five to 15 hours to do a hairstyle. Like with Stevie Wonder, I would do the scalp part of his hair real quick — try to do that in three hours if possible or four hours because there was always a plane to catch, and another gig to get to. But then the beading aspect took another four hours. He just allowed me to use my own creativity as long as I added all the beads. If I cut back on the beads he could tell from the weight. And he liked the weight of it I guess."