Sitar Stories
If you have been at Sitar, you have seen the installation of vibrant poster boards highlighting some of our amazing alumni artists. Today, we are featuring the talented Selena Jackson as she reflects on art and community.
What is your passion?
My passion is the pursuit of knowledge and creating space for those who look like me. I want to shine a light to things that we ignore, the nuances of identity and how it shapes our interaction with the world.
Comparative Anatomy (Petrus Camper) by Selena Jackson
What motivates you and your work?
I am motivated by communicating and connecting with others in different ways. The artist being the scholar and the intellectual pursuit that comes with that mindset allows for me to dive into my work and find more and more depth. The questions of “How?” or “Why” fuels my every project.
“I wanted to focus on portraiture out of frustration from the lack of representation in the art world.”
Why is art and community engagement important to you?
It’s all about carving out space for others and myself. I wanted to focus on portraiture out of frustration from the lack of representation in the art world. As I connect more with artists of the African Diaspora and other marginalized groups, the motives are all the same, we just want to be seen and our voices to be heard.