Featured Artist: Jackie

We’re delighted to feature Jackie, a Tucson-based artist whose breathtaking patch creations crackle with glorious, unshakable life. From garment-making and leatherwork, Jackie’s commitment to justice and community blazes through deliberate and impactful usage of color, texture, and contrasts.

Where are you from?

Most of my life I’ve lived in the southeast part of Michigan, and I’ve lived in Tucson for nearly 3 years-I plan to stay (:

What got you started making art?

The people who raised me encouraged my siblings and I to try lots of crafts from a young age. I remember spending hours with dot matrix paper and tracing paper, making my own coloring sheets as a kid! I shared paper crafts and scrapbooking with a loved one as a tween, and I found a love of acrylic paint as a teenager. As an adult, I still want to try anything I can get my hands on! On the list of Things To Try; weaving my own fabric, stained glass, bleach art, rubber band weaving, miniature making, creating art dolls, sculpture? and more!

What’s your artistic background? (experience, education, etc.)

I am almost entirely self taught. I have spent many years watching other artists create-usually on online platforms-and experimenting with their techniques in order to find ways to make my visions come to life!

Who or what are your biggest artists’ influences?

I have so many! LaKenzo (the “Dandelion Crayon girl”) reminds me not to take my art too seriously, and that having fun is sometimes the best way to make the best art! Morgan Echols’ “The Sun” will always be one of my favorite pieces. Her work reminds me that art can not only be simpler than it looks, but also that the simplest ideas can have the strongest impacts. Hellen Highwater’s pieces remind me that I can trust the process and trust in my skill, and that I can achieve and say whatever I want with my work! They all remind me that if I make what I want and do what I love, other people will love it too. Beyond that, it’s easy to see that finding ways to reuse *anything* (especially in a functional way), leftist morals, punk subcultures, and the beauty and joy of queer existence are also strong influences on my art.

Where do you get your inspiration for your art?

All I need to do is look around! I believe that EVERYTHING is art. Someone had to create the shape of your ceiling fan, find the best stacking design that preserves function in your tupperware-did you know that the guardrails on roads are *specially engineered* to change the direction of a crashing car in motion to prevent larger or more hazardous accidents? In what world is that not art? Not mine!

Anything else?

I started You’ve Got Moxie! in 2024, after I made my first patches, upgraded my battle vest, and realized I’d finally found a medium I felt I could do forever! I don’t care about being rich and famous, I just want to make a positive impact where I can. Currently I accept donations to support @pal.gaza14 (on insta), and a portion of all Palestine related items I carry go towards their efforts for a Free Palestine (though I encourage donating directly at thesanabelteam.com -send me a recent receipt for a discount!), as well as any collections you may have of unwanted soda can tabs, bottlecaps, safety pins, embroidery thread, and more! Send me a message on social media for more information ❤️ I also always carry an open AMA -so please shoot me any good faith questions, I’d love to talk about it!

Art is a foundational part of humanity, and how I find hope. I look at art made by marginalized communities other than my own, and I’m so excited to find the new perspectives within. Intentionally reading library books, purchasing prints, clicking on websites and scrolling through feeds are all great ways to support and love your local Indigenous and/or Black communities. Look at the embroidery, weaving, ceramics, metalwork, and murals we see everywhere from our local Mexican and Hispanic artisans-and tell those artists that you love their work-if not with your wallet, then with your clicks and your words! I have found that some of the most impactful work that expresses the most complex feelings comes from artists with the most stigmatized disabilities (which can be managed and thrived in with the right support) such as personality disorders, DID, psychosis, addictions, and other severe mental and physical disabilities. Notice how transgender artists are simply bellowing “I am beautiful, can’t you see? What a gift to behold!”. If I could list every community that deserves to be seen and loved here, I would-I can already think of a few more! But in closing-creating is how we survive-literally, for some of us, the only reason we stay alive. Art is a physical representation of hope to continue every day, and teaches others about who we are. What can you learn from it?

What brought you to BICAS?

An effort to become active in my local community of artists

How has BICAS affected you?

Connecting with like-minded people trying to support their local community will always be a goal and a source of meaning for me.

Why did you work with BICAS at Art Mart?

March’s BICAS Art Mart was a great way to redouble my efforts in joining my local artist community, sharing my art, and supporting my local small businesses! As a queer part-time wheelchair user, I really appreciated the efforts BICAS has made to make an inclusive and accessible experience as much as possible. I hope to keep working with them moving forward for these reasons!