We’re so excited to welcome Antonesha Jackson as our new Director of Development and Communications!

Antonesha has a great combination of skills, experience, and passion for our community. We look forward to everything her new perspective and ideas will bring. Get to know her a little through some Q&As: 

You have a background as a STEM educator. What do you see as the intersection between arts education and STEM education? 
STEM is a vital part of the current world we live in, and much of STEM is about being creative which directly relates to art education. Engineering is a technical aspect of many art mediums, as not only physical but virtual materials are used. I never thought of myself as a creative until I learned how to code and create my own applications based on my own ideas. 
 
Another part of your background is that you attended Howard University. What was the value of this experience?
Going to an HBCU was a pivotal part of my educational journey. Experiencing education in a system ran by African Americans and focused on our success was new for me since I was coming from a majority-white system here in the Pacific Northwest. Howard University is the mecca of HBCUs, founded in1867 in the heart of D.C., which is formally known as chocolate city because of its large black population. Being so close to the Whitehouse, I was able to see and hear first-hand the contributions my community has made in the United States. The value is unmeasurable. As an alum, it’s my goal to continuously uplift not only Howard but all HBCUs to the world.

With so much varied experience, what made you decide to go into Development?
Being an educator, it was frustrating dealing with administration, and lack of funding and parental support. Having worked with non-profits, I saw what changes can be made when you have supporters on the ground. I transitioned into event-planning in order to increase funds and community connections and then into development to grow funder bases and programs.
 
What is something you are excited for in your new role as Director of Development and Communications at Arts Corps? 
I’m so excited to work with Arts Corps as a Director of Development and Communications. I think my unique work and travel experiences has blessed me to see and experience a variety of art and I would like to share that with the world and our students. Seattle has such a variety of art, people, and cultures that are not always highlighted. It is my goal to open our students to mediums they may have never tried and make them lifetime learners and creators. 
 
You’re a Seattleite, born and raised. What are some of your favorite art spots in the city? 
This city has gone through so many changes during my lifetime, it’s really cool to hear about the history of Seattle through the eyes of my parents and grandparents. As a third-generation Seattleite, I got to see my community once redlined and forced to live in certain areas then be gentrified and forced to move out. My favorite parts of Seattle are mostly located in the central area because that’s where my family is from. I love walking up and down Jackson, down Jazz alley to Chinatown, siting by Lake Washington, or eating at my favorite spots on Union.

Antonesha Jackson is a third generation Seattle native. A proud graduate from Howard University Computer Information Systems with an MBA from American University. Formally the interim Director of Development at United Negro College Fund Pacific NW, she is now the current Development and Communications Director at Arts Corps. Inspired to pursue a career in STEM Education and nonprofit business analytics after college and living in Los Angeles, she is also a small business owner and lover of travel.

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Saeko has been a crucial part of our team since 2020 and has done a lot of work behind the scene to keep us running and keep us improving, not to mention she’s helped create many fun and sweet moments. She will be leaving at the end of the fiscal year, but before she goes, we wanted everyone to have the chance to learn more about her. 

When did you start at Arts Corps?
I started working for ArtsCorps as a Bookkeeper in November 2020.

What do you do? What do you like about it?
I was promoted to Financial Manager in July 2022 and have been serving Arts Corps mission from that same position until now. I like to keep things in order, and by extension I like working in Bookkeeping. I get a lot of joy out of closing out the month by reconciling the numbers in the books each month.

Why is arts education important to you?
We all have at least one or two art forms that we are good at or prefer. They enrich our lives. Various forms of art allow us to express our inner feelings. They influence us, resonate with us, and play an important role in cultivating sensitivity and new ideas. I believe that art is an important element in our growth and evolution.

Has there been a piece of art which has had a positive impact in your life?
When I think what has impacted my life, I immediately think of Sayonara Galaxy Express 999, which I watched as a child.

What are some creative practices you like to do?
I find great joy in leaning and practicing interior design, gardening, and landscaping. I love to decorate my home space and the outside of my home according to the season and theme.

What is a positive memory you’ve made at Arts Corps?
The warmth of my Arts Corps colleagues is what I treasure most about Arts Corps. I love the laughter and cheerfulness of everyone when we get together. A few months, ago we had a board game day where we played Jenga and another game popular in Japan, and it was so much fun to see how seriously everyone took it. It’s fun and refreshing to get away from our normal work roles and play together like kids.

Saeko was born in Tokyo, and first visited the US at 17 as part of a high school study abroad program. She has worked in accounting for over ten years. She moved to the US permanently in 2015, when her husband retired from the Air Force. During her time off, she enjoys painting, interior design, and relaxing with her Shiba Inu.

 

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You started as a student in Print 4 Life, the screen printing program that Arts Corps T.A. Greg Thorton leads. Can you tell us about your experience in the program and how it impacted you?

My name is Maryem Weini and when I was around the age of 16 years old, I was a bad kiddo. It was then that I first met Claire, who worked at the King County juvenile detention center. I was on probation when we first met, and she told my probation officer that she was trying to help young youth like me fix their lives and get off probation. Claire shared with my probation officer that her husband Greg [Thorton] was starting a program called Print 4 Life. I wasn’t trying to do any of that around that time, but I had to so I could get off probation. As I started Print 4 Life, I met Greg and he introduced me to screen printing. Honestly, I was so confused on what I was supposed to be doing.

Time changed and I started to get more and more engaged in screen printing. I felt so much LOVE, SUPPORT, and MOTIVATION. I can honestly say that if I had never had this opportunity to feel so much LOVE from somebody, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. During Print 4 Life, Greg and Claire showed and gave me SO MUCH!!! Print 4 Life impacted me by showing me a different path in life. I’ve grown so much and my art has also improved a lot. I LOVE making shirts now. Screen printing was an amazing experience which I needed in my life.

Now you’re a classroom assistant! What made you decide to take on this role and come back to a classroom?

I LOVE KIDS!!! Having this AMAZING spot in life where I get to call myself Miss Maryem, an after school visual arts teacher’s assistant, makes me get out of bed everyday to come see all these natural born artists. Coming back into a classroom is different now because I’m the teacher’s assistant, getting everything set up and ready to go. It’s great just sitting next to all the artists, and viewing their work makes me feel strong everyday because I’m sharing the strength with them.

What have been some challenges that you’ve faced as a faculty? What have been some rewarding moments? What is something you’re excited for?

To be honest, I haven’t really faced any challenges while working as a faculty member that I haven’t been able to overcome. One of my most rewarding moments is staying with Art Corps, from being introduced when I was a bad kiddo at the age of 16 to this strong motivated woman who’s 22 years old- it’s been a strong 7 years. What I’m most excited for is to actually become a visual arts teacher, not just the teacher’s assistant – not that I mind being an assistant, because this is giving me the foundation to actually become that teacher.

Arts Corps is kicking off a fundraising season we’re calling “Rise & Bloom.” It’s taking the place of a single annual gala that we called “Festa.”  What does the theme mean to you?

Rising up everyday to face challenges daily. While facing challenges in life – both now and later – people can carry motivation, success and ambition in a little or big way which will help them keep striving to become that flowery bloom.

How can we nurture young people so that they can RISE & BLOOM as their true self? What role do you think art education has in this nurturing?

By encouraging their young hearts, minds and acknowledging their success small and big. Arts nurturing their young minds gives them an avenue for self experience.

What are some of your own creative practices and current projects? How can people support you?

I love coloring, drawing and working on puzzles. A current project I’m working on is my second lesson plan for one of my visual art classes where I’m getting mentored by Greg. Also people can keep supporting me by just being great!!!!!!

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Eris, you’ve been part of the Arts Corps community for a while in various ways! Tell us about your journey with the organization and what it was that made you come back?

Finding Arts Corps was a bit of a journey in and of itself. At the time, I was getting my degree in Positive Youth Development at Highline College. I wasn’t in the degree with the goal of starting non-profit work. The larger goal was to get my Master’s in library science, but I felt the degree was relevant and interesting, so I went for it. I was also 19 at the time, which was wild, being a youth and studying about… well, myself. The more I learned, the more I became invested and passionate about community work. 

In the second half of the program, you have to find a place to intern. They just kind of unleash you and say, “Reach out!! Do your best!!” I was so nervous and lost, I just started looking for places that focused on art and music, since those are things I personally enjoy. When I reached out to Arts Corps, they immediately responded with such interest and enthusiasm. I tend to believe I’m imposing on people a lot, but from the beginning, the folks at Arts Corps saw things in me that I had never thought of as valuable and that continues to be a big reason I keep coming back.

I learned one of my biggest life lessons during my time as an Arts Corps intern. When you’re young, there’s a lot of mystique around working, especially around being a “professional.” It’s like being an “adult,” you don’t really know what to expect, but there’s a lot of grandeur spun around it while growing up. What coming into Arts Corps taught me is that the world is just made up of a bunch of people trying their best to get stuff done. Whether you’re a CEO or in customer service, it’s not really any different. There’s no secret code or revelation; we’re all just people doing our best. 

When it came to staying on as a classroom assistant and teaching artist, or coming back to be a program manager, my reasons were always the same. Regardless of what I was learning about myself, what I wanted, or who I wanted to be, Arts Corps had my back. The folks here have always been there for me, cheering me on, and believing in me more than I believe in myself. And hey, they do awesome work. They’re giving something to the world that it really needs: A place to do art and feel loved. Not just to the youth, but to the staff, too. Every day when I come home, I find myself thinking “Wow, I’m so very blessed that my life led me to Arts Corps.”

How did your experiences at Arts Corps prepare you professionally? How did they connect to your journey outside the organization?

Being at Arts Corps taught me a lot about what work is involved in running a non-profit. But, honestly, I think the best thing it did was give me standards! Standards on how to treat each other, on how to uplift those we work with and for, and what it really means to be an “equitable” and “anti-racist” organization. The short time I was gone, I started to see very quickly that not everyone sees the world like Arts Corps does. I was taught here that honesty, bravery, accountability, love, and the desire to grow are the true pillars to being a “professional.” Outside of Arts Corps, I ran into a lot of places that seemed to believe being professional means keeping your head down and your heart closed. People think those systems exist for safety and comfort, but all it’s keeping safe is the system of power itself. Arts Corps taught me that being an “artist” (which is really just being “human”) is all about challenging those systems of power. 

What is something you are looking forward to in your new role as Program Manager?

I just really enjoy the logistics of it all. Someone reminded me we needed to figure out food for a class, and I immediately got excited to plan it. Making connections, providing folks with information, keeping everything together with duct tape and staples if you have to — it’s all so satisfying when you know what you’re doing. I’m looking forward to learning more and more so I can confidently claim I know what I’m doing! Then I’ll be able to reach that most satisfying place, where even if I have 10 different projects to juggle, I know exactly what’s happening in each one, and can leap right into whatever needs to happen next.

Everyday though, I’m just excited to help people. As a kid, whenever I came up with a new answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” my parent’s follow-up was always “How does that help people?” It was drilled into me that what you do to make money should always help people somehow. So, unless I’m being of service to someone, I don’t really feel that I’m working at all. In that way, I’m looking forward to becoming more capable, so that everyone around me can think: “Whenever I need help, I know I can rely on Eris to be there for me.”

What are some of your personal creative practices? What do you like about them?

I like to enjoy a lot of different art forms! I draw, write, dance, video edit, and I recently began my journey in cosplay, which involves a lot of types of sewing and fabricating. I’ll be learning to craft armor with foam this year, for example. There’s little I feel I’ve mastered, but that’s alright, since art is about expression and enjoyment rather than perfection. I can be satisfied with things like sewing and video editing as long as I get to see my artistic vision become tangible. Then I can say I’ve learned something new.

The one thing I try to “perfect” is singing! Music has been in my life as early as I can remember, whether played by friends and family or just on the radio in the car, and singing has always been a part of that. You don’t need any special tools to do it, you just need to raise your voice and go for it! It’s something that’s incorporated throughout the day for me. It could be singing in the car, or while cleaning, or in the grocery store, or anywhere really. Breathing, being loud, and letting the world hear you, there’s nothing else really like it. Singing with others is also a really special experience, which I do mostly in the Level Up! Vocal Ensemble (LU!VE) which I help run in Seattle. These days I’m simply grabbing any performance opportunity I can find and have time for, so I can keep sharing that love for music with other people.

What opportunities and challenges do you see ahead for those of us who care deeply about art, young people, and community?

The main opportunity I’m thinking about these days is the potential to integrate nonprofits in with our local library systems more. Local libraries are nuclei of community, but I haven’t heard of any non-profit so far consistently partnering with them. I’d really like to see organizations turn to librarians to discuss how we can connect and deliver what our community members need. If more of us can walk hand-in-hand when it comes to programming, our net of supporters will become tighter-knit, and more and more people will be served and uplifted.

I find I can’t really speak on challenges, though. A challenge is just another thing to get done, right? I mean, sure, I could write a paragraph here about the fact arts education still isn’t properly funded, the need to restructure the education system to improve the lives of both teachers and students, the effect on youth of growing up in a world where privacy doesn’t exist, or the rise of puritan politics, but what would be changed by that? 

I simply choose to believe in my heart that there is a world where everyone has the opportunity and time to enjoy art. One where everyone loves each other and grows closer because of it. Where everyone values each other and what we have to say. If I work a little harder, and talk to more people, and spread the word, that world is going to exist, it’ll get a little closer. Will there be challenges? Probably. When those eventual challenges appear, we’ll just roll up our sleeves and climb over it. And then one day, on the other side of those walls, that world will become real.

It’s a new year! As we move into 2023, what are some things that you are holding onto or reaching toward?

Last year, my goal was to do everything!! I wanted to push myself to try things I’d never done before, take risks, and never say no. I grew a lot and found a lot of awesome opportunities. I definitely don’t want to let go of that mindset. At the same time, trying to manage everything is exhausting. So I’m learning, now that I’ve piled on so much, how to carefully set some things aside. In 2023, I want to keep up on pushing myself, but also to focus on learning how to pace myself for the many more years of exploration to come.

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