UPDATED: February 19, 2019 at 10:01 p.m.

One of Tanisha Jackson’s earliest childhood memories is drawing with just a pencil and a piece of paper — ever since, she’s been immersed in art and how it affects the world around her.

Now, Jackson is bringing her expertise in art and social justice to Syracuse University. Just last month, she was hired as both the executive director of the Community Folk Art Center and as a professor of practice in Syracuse University’s department of African American studies.

She attended The Ohio State University and earned multiple degrees — a master’s degree in African American and African/Black studies, along with a Ph.D. in art education — as well as earning a M.B.A. from the University of Toledo. At CFAC, her focus is geared toward art from the African diaspora, the dispersal of African people across continents.

In her role at the center, Jackson aims to build a bridge between university students and faculty members, along with strengthening the connection between the CFAC and the surrounding Syracuse community. CFAC’s Administrative Specialist Oubon Bagchi said Jackson emphasizes community engagement and wants to incorporate even more programming at the CFAC, in order to make that happen.

Bringing the communities closer and promoting engagement will result in a “win-win” situation for all involved, Jackson said.

“I think there’s a whole host of possibilities for diversity and inclusion,” she said. “There is the potential for us to have enriching dialogue.”

Art is a vehicle for human expression, Jackson said, it serves as a way to bring community issues to the forefront of the conversation. She said poverty in communities of color is a concern in the city of Syracuse, and hopes to help people understand the collective effort it takes to invoke change within those communities.

The first step, she said, is for people to acknowledge that there are institutional practices that perpetuate inequality in some communities. By being silent, she added, people are complicit, because they see what is happening but refuse to take action.

The Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movements are just a couple of the many ways people are speaking out against systemic issues, Jackson said. She hopes to encourage more people in Syracuse to be advocates, she said.

“It’s important to have dialogue with people who are outside of your community so that you can have an understanding of what the needs are and how it’s mutually beneficial,” she said.

Embedded photo credit:

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

By using CFAC as a vehicle to connect the university with the surrounding community, Jackson said people can learn best from one another by helping each other. That’s where people find their commonalities, she said, despite differences.

Studying the African diaspora is not all about hardships, she said, as there are also milestones and contributions to celebrate. By taking February – Black History Month – to focus on African American history, she said that people can learn that African American history is American history, too.

“We have to take time to have African American History Month to acknowledge the accomplishments of a group of people who, for various reasons, are erased from the history books, or erased from the conversation, or erased from the idea of being an American,” she said.

Jackson’s excitement for the arts and invoking change led her to her position at the CFAC, making her the best candidate for the position, said Education Program Coordinator Tamar J. Smithers.

“Since touchdown, she hit the ground running,” Smithers said. “She has been an amazing spirit.”

Through teaching, learning and sharing, Jackson hopes to make a positive impact on the community and those she encounters, which she said is her lifelong goal.

The objective is to make a mark — not for recognition, but through the sole desire to change lives.

So far, she said, she’s been able to accomplish that through scholarship and teaching. And now, she has the opportunity to do that through the arts at CFAC.

“I am a creative and I like not only the aspect of creativity, but educating others as well through creativity,” Jackson said.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the graphic misstated a date. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on February 6, 2019 at 8:59 pm

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu