Collection in progress.

The Commonwealth Collection is an evolving body of portrait work by Jo Majette centered on the people, culture, and creative legacy of Virginia. Rooted in Jo’s own connection to Hampton Roads, the collection looks beyond celebrity to consider what it means for a person to become part of the cultural memory of a place, and how artists, athletes, musicians, and other influential Virginians carry the Commonwealth with them while shaping culture far beyond its borders.

Through portraiture, Jo is building a visual archive of figures whose lives and work have helped define Virginia’s identity across generations. The collection is both a celebration and a reclamation: an opportunity to document Virginia through the people who emerged from it, while examining the relationship between hometown, legacy, ambition, and cultural influence.

Planned subjects include Allen Iverson, whose impact stretches from Hampton Roads basketball courts into global sports culture; Missy Elliott, whose innovation permanently changed the language of music and visual storytelling; and Pusha T, whose portrait marks the beginning of the collection and reflects the distinct cultural voice of Virginia’s Tidewater region. As the project grows, The Commonwealth Collection will expand across disciplines and generations, creating a broader portrait of the people who have made Virginia culturally significant.

Ultimately, the collection asks a simple question:

What does Virginia look like when its history is told through the people who made the world pay attention?