Tag: homepage

Board Spotlight: Jason Ehlenfeldt

Posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2025 at 11:51 am
Written by Arts Corps

Headshot of Jason Ehlenfeldt, a man in his 30s with a trim beard and balding, short hair, wearing a blue collared shirt

Arts Corps is excited to welcome our new board member, Jason Ehlenfeldt! 

We were lucky enough to meet Jason earlier this year when he came to the Arts Corps offices with the Best Buy Foundation for a grant application meeting, talking with our staff and seeing photos and art pieces from our programs. After the meeting, Jason decided to become involved with Arts Corps. He volunteered for our end-of-year celebration, Art & Sol, taking part of the chaotic magic that is running an event–– setting up merch tables and art stations, greeting students, and event directing traffic under a light rain. “Honestly, it was kind of relaxing!” he laughs. At the beginning of this month, Jason was officially voted into our board. 

At first glance, Jason might not fit the picture you typically assume when you think arts education. Growing up in the Midwest, he majored in Computer Network Security through Dakota State University before trying programming and officially switching to software development, which he’s made his career. But Jason is an art kid, through and through. He’s been singing for as long as he can remember, and he’s managed to be involved in theatre through various stages of his life and across multiple states. He’s acted, designed, done run crew, and even stage managed. You name it, and he’s probably done it in theatre.

Jason’s engagement in the arts and his willingness to try new roles comes from a formative experience in his youth. Jason was always a quiet kid, he shares. Then, in the first day of summer vacation after his sophomore year, he got into an accident with his 4-wheeler. He spent 3 days in the ICU. While there, he had a realization, “I don’t want to live my life afraid of doing things”. Once he was back in school, his choir teacher encouraged him to audition for Phantom of the Opry, a spoof of Phantom of the Opera. He was nervous but remembered his resolve. He got the lead role of Lt. Fairleigh Good, and the rest is history.

Beyond his deep connection with the arts, Jason simply loves helping. He volunteers with Child’s Play, a non-profit that brings gaming systems into hospitals, integrating play into the pediatric patient experience. This work has personal significance to Jason, as he remembers how the gaming cart helped him through his own hospital stay as a youth. He also volunteers at the Pacific Science Center, participating in their National Engineering Week and summer camps. He loves it because of the excitement, energy, and curiosity he gets to witness. 

Curiosity is a unifying thread for Jason, which continues to motivate him and connects all that he does. Art and tech are often seen as separate and different disciplines, but the reality is they have a lot of commonalities and help advance each other. Curiosity lets you see this. “Curiosity is one of the biggest things that can benefit a person” Jason says. “It’s the ever-dreaded question, right? The ‘why?’ But if you are always asking why, you never stop learning”. 

Through his new position as an Arts Corps board member, Jason is looking forward to fostering curiosity. He wants to help create spaces for youth to feel like they fit in, like they can ask all their question, and become who they want to be. After all, Jason understands the power of art to shape us. “Without it, I’d be a completely different person”.

–By Grecia Leal Pardo
Development and Communications Manager

Read More

Faculty Spotlight: Jéhan Òsanyìn

Posted on Friday, April 25th, 2025 at 12:14 pm
Written by Arts Corps

Jéhan, a black person wearing pink boots and a white scarf, in the middle of a brick-lined road beneath an arched bridge.
Jéhan walking along the Peak Forest Locks in Marple, UK February 2025.

 

Arts Corps is happy to introduce our new Director of Arts Education, Jéhan Òsanyìn!

Previously, you have been part of Arts Corps as a teaching artist. What made you return as an administrator?

One of the reasons I left Arts Corps as a Teaching Artist was because while working as a Creative Schools Initiative Teaching Artist in dual language classrooms, I learned what it meant to teach young people in a language other than English and fell in love with it.  It helped me more deeply root my pedagogy in anti-colonial theory through understanding my relationship with language and learning.  I knew I wanted to be a more proficient educator when teaching in Spanish speaking communities. I also wanted to investigate what it meant to be West Indian (St. Johnian and Jamaican) and think about how the Spanish colonization that occurred in 1455 in Jamaica. What residue remains after the Spanish left? What are the remnants of British colonization? Where does that live in body? In my practice? In my curriculum? While my work as an Arts Corps teaching artist helped me understand the depths of colonization and internalized racial trauma in an arts integrated classroom, I wanted to work with the adults who worked with young people to provide more advanced professional development opportunities. I needed to sew together the theories I’d discovered in the classroom. Returning to Arts Corps as administrator is an opportunity to support Teaching Artists and the young people they serve by creating systems around them. I’d love for the entire world to see teaching artistry as a career you can retire from. 

Beyond Arts Corps, you have so much experience as a transdisciplinary artist, educator, and facilitator! Can you tell us about some of the work you’ve done in the past and some of the practices you’ve learned from it?

Sure! I’ve had the lovely opportunity to work with a lot of organizations who made me sign an NDA before working with them. Feel free to make a guess of which companies and you’ll likely be right.  I’ve worked locally as a Director or on the team with The 5th Avenue Theatre (Into the Woods, The Wiz, Afterwords, Wonder Boy!, Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria). I directed Wonderful Wizard of Oz at Seattle Children’s Theatre, I adapted and directed the World Premiere audioplay of N.K. Jemisin’s short story The Effluent Engine for Book-It Repertory Company, I’ve also worked with ACT Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Village Theatre, and Intiman theatre.  I wrote and performed Yankee Pickney with a now defunct theatre company, Theater Schemeater. Yankee Pickney explored state sanctioned violence against Black bodies.  I trained in Cultural Somatics and Psychological First Aid with Resmaa Menakem. Some of the practices I’ve learned from that training was slowing down and moving the speed of discernment.  How slowly do I have to move to make sure I’m moving in alignment with the behaviors I’ve learned and practiced and not the ones taught to me by teachers with practices and values that no longer served me?

Something that ties a lot of your work together is theatre. Why theatre?  

This is hard to explain, but theatre has, historically, been the only place where I get to be in the fullness of my body and be believed. When folks are watching the journey of a character I’m playing from the beginning of the story to the end they believe what’s happened to them (with lights, sound, costumes, and supporting characters). As a big Black-bodied sometimes femme, people don’t often believe my life. I find they struggle to empathize without qualifying questions that dilute my experiences. Theatre was the only place where I could fully exist and breathe and be believed. Being believed is validating so I kept going on my path of validation until it diverged in a wood.  

What is something that excites you as Director of Arts Education?

The Teaching Artists. I was in the office during Art 4 Life and listened as Yaz and Atticus taught students how to read the symbolism in Steven Universe. I’m in the office as Teaching Artists gather supplies and laugh with the program managers. I’m on this planet to work in service of young people and to fund the Arts in perpetuity. Those are what excited me as the Director of Arts Education. 

What is something that excites you or is bringing you joy as a human?

Food.  I love cooking and baking. The week before I started in the office I perfected my “from scratch” croissant recipe, perfected my shortcrust recipe, and baked bialys and sourdough boules for my neighbors. My grandmother was the sweetest human and the best cook. Now my brother (who lives in Pennsylvania) and I bond over FaceTime while cooking and baking for our respective loved ones.  If you want to hear or see me in my happy place, talk to me about food. The highlight of my week is customizing my CSA box.  Truly, it’s the little things these days.  

 

A Batik tapestry of a person sitting on a rock, fishing, with a tree, a volcano, and a red sky behind them
A Batik tapestry Jéhan made while in Yogjakarta, Indonesia in January 2025
Read More

Community Spotlight: WOW Gallery

Posted on Friday, February 28th, 2025 at 9:10 pm
Written by Arts Corps

"Wonder of Women Gallery" in a serif white font inside a black circle, under a white crown.

 

This year, we are hosting our fundraising dinner Thrive at the beautiful WOW Gallery! In anticipation, we asked their team to share a little more about the space and its story:

Not only is WOW Gallery a beautiful event space, but it is also an art exhibit and a healing experience for the Black community. Can you tell us a little about the story behind WOW? How did it come to be?
 
WOW Gallery was born from a divine calling to create a sacred space where Black women, girls, and people can heal, be inspired, and find liberation through the power of storytelling and art. As an extension of Wonder of Women International, WOW Gallery is more than a gallery—it is a movement dedicated to inspiring Black women and girls to find their voice, stand in their truth, and celebrate their wonder by telling their story.

It is a sanctuary where Black people can see themselves reflected in a space of power, beauty, and affirmation. WOW Gallery is a living testament to our stories, struggles, and triumphs—a dedicated space that fosters healing, joy, and the reclamation of our collective narrative.
 

Why was art such a central piece of your vision?
 
Art is a powerful medium for healing, education, ancestry, and liberation. It allows us to reclaim narratives, express our truth, and leave a legacy that empowers and inspires generations. At WOW Gallery, art is not just about aesthetics—it is a tool for transformation.
 
The vision of Wonder of Women International is deeply rooted in storytelling, and art is one of the most profound ways to tell our stories. It ensures our voices will never be silenced.
 

The exhibit on display is Dear Sista, I See You by Veronica Very and Hiawatha D. What are some Black artists or pieces that inspired you in the making of the exhibit and the space?
 
The Dear Sista, I See You exhibit is deeply influenced by the rich tapestry of Black artistry and storytelling. Hiawatha D., known for his vibrant and evocative portraits, draws inspiration from a lineage of Black artists who have celebrated the resilience, power, and beauty of Black women.
 
We are especially inspired by iconic local Black women whose names may not be widely known but whose impact is undeniable—educator and poet Dr. Mona Lake Jones, entrepreneur and activist DeCharlene Williams, and the late Dr. Maxine Mimms, founder of Evergreen State College’s Tacoma campus. Our intention is to uplift the unsung sheroes whose stories deserve to be recognized and celebrated in community. Dear Sista, I See You is creating sacred space for those conversations and celebrations to take place.

 
What are some events that you host in the space, and how can people get involved?
 
WOW Gallery is more than an art space—it is a movement, a living and breathing experience of Black storytelling, truth-telling, and community healing. Our events center, affirm, and elevate Black women, girls, and people. We host storytelling circles, healing dialogues, artist talks, and transformative gatherings that foster connection, self-discovery, and liberation.
 
One of our signature experiences, The WOW Experience, invites guests into an immersive encounter with art, culture, and the deep truths of Black love and existence.
 
Community members can get involved by visiting the gallery, attending or hosting events, and supporting the mission of Wonder of Women International. This work is sustained by those who believe in the power of Black women and girls finding their voice, standing in their truth, and celebrating their wonder. Those who feel called to be part of this movement can also contribute through sponsorship, collaboration, or simply by showing up and standing in solidarity.

 
What is one of your favorite memories that you’ve created in the space thus far?
 
One of the most profound moments at WOW Gallery was a multigenerational storytelling gathering, where Black women, girls, and elders sat in a sacred circle, sharing wisdom, laughter, and tears. In this space, Black girls were held and affirmed by the voices of those who came before them, and elders were given the honor of witnessing their legacy live on.
 
It was a moment where the mission of Wonder of Women International came to life—where voices were found, truths were spoken, and wonder was celebrated.
 
There is always an unspoken understanding in the room that this space is more than an art gallery. It is an altar, a sanctuary, a homecoming for every Black woman, girl, and person who has ever longed to be seen, heard, and held in love. These are the moments that define WOW Gallery—where healing happens in real time, and the stories of Black people are honored as sacred, significant, and sovereign.
 

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
 
WOW Gallery is more than an art space—it is an uprising, a reclamation, a revolution. It is a love letter to Black humanity, inscribed in bold strokes, vibrant colors, and the resounding echoes of our ancestors.
 
This is a sacred offering to the Black community, rooted in love, light, liberation, and legacy. A sanctuary where our truth is honored, our stories are sacred, and our presence is power.
 
For those seeking connection, healing, and empowerment—this space was created for you, by you, because of you. Come and center yourself in the hope, healing, and harmony of Black Love. Stand in the unwavering truth that Black women, girls, and people deserve to be seen, celebrated, and centered in spaces that honor our divinity, our brilliance, and the wisdom of our wonder.

 

Thrive is happening on March 15, 6:00-9:00pm. We hope you are able to join us to experience WOW Gallery for yourself!

Read More