Jessica received a BFA in Art History and Painting from the University of Kansas and a Master’s in Public Art Studies from the University of Southern California. In her studies, she focused on painting in oils, figure drawing, photography, and printmaking. Art history informed her passion for connecting art with discussion, history and storytelling. Her graduate thesis explored ways museum curators and officials can use public projects and programming to help address the issue of connecting with new audiences by creating social spaces and participatory experiences.
Jessica now lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her family and continues to paint and participate in public art initiatives while balancing a family and a full time professional career. Visit her also at Drawn Together to learn more about her collaborative community art project.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Central to my artistic inquiry is the exploration of how my memories intertwine with the broader tapestry of my family history. My journal serves as a reference point and allows me to memorialize my daily experiences through the drawing of places, objects and people. My daily documentation is a catalog of my memories and stories while the exploration of my vintage family photos are an attempt to reconstruct the narrative and fill in gaps of unknown stories. I use materials such as paper, watercolor, ink, acrylic, marker and colored pencil to create vibrant hues and dynamic mark making in these works. My work is inspired by storytelling and capturing moments that can be so familiar to all of us.
I received a small collection of photos of my mother’s childhood after she passed away. The scarcity of items left behind and the lack of information led me to start thinking of what I may leave behind when I am gone. How will I collect and document my own stories? This is where my daily documentation comes in - drawing scenes or everyday objects in my journal to catalog my life. These simple drawings are often familiar to others and create a connection to their own lives. In addition to daily documentation, I simultaneously have explored how to bring the vintage photos I have of my mother and other family members to life. The nostalgic photos serve as a catalyst where I make assumptions to fill in the gaps of what is the narrative in the photos.
At the heart of my practice lies the concepts of place, time and artifacts we leave behind to tell our story. My work looks to find joy in the everyday moment while memorializing that same experience. I hope my work creates a space of familiarity and connection to others' own narratives of the past and present.