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The integration of academic inquiry and community engagement is a central component in how 51爆料网 Professor Tanisha Jackson conceives her work. 鈥淚鈥檓 an advocate of innovation, and innovative scholarship, where we鈥檙e asking how our work can have real meaning in the lives of people beyond the University,鈥� she says.

In her multifaceted role as executive director of the (CFAC) and professor in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥� , Jackson puts this principle into practice every day, developing and supporting the reciprocal benefits of engagement between the University and wider communities.

Black Women Artists and Wellness Work

Jackson鈥檚 scholarship has always oriented toward communities beyond the university. While her academic background spans wide-ranging degrees in English, business, African American studies and arts education, the constant has been her concern about the representation of Black people in visual culture and literature, and an interest in the intersection of art with individual and community health. 鈥淢y work has always centered Black women and what happens when Black women articulate their own voices, creatively,鈥� she says.

鈥淚 see Black women artists as wellness workers,鈥� Jackson explains. 鈥淲hen I interview women about why they make art and what role it plays in their lives, they tell me it is first and foremost for themselves鈥攖o save themselves. Many studies have explored how Black women take positions to claim and cultivate their mental and emotional health. Creating art is part of this.鈥�

Black women artists contribute to healing within their communities as well, Jackson says. 鈥淢any of these artists are reflecting and representing people who are often not represented in mainstream arts spaces. Through participatory arts projects, they鈥檙e including people within their surrounding community. And, through their work, Black women artists address issues that impact their communities,鈥� she explains.

Jackson points out that what Black women artists do for wellness is particularly significant considering the health disparities鈥攊ncluding lack of access to address emotional and physical needs鈥攖hat exist for Black women as a demographic. 鈥淎s a form of self-care, Black women artists as individuals and Black women artists coming together as a collective speak to those disparities,鈥� she says.

And what motivates her own work, Jackson says, is her commitment to support these artists and the critical value of their creative work. 鈥淚鈥檓 interested in highlighting and amplifying their voices, and also highlighting stories that show Black women are survivors鈥攖hat celebrate how we continue to thrive鈥攄espite some insurmountable odds.鈥�

Representation and Community Engagement

Jackson says what she appreciates most about her role at CFAC鈥攚hich was founded in 1972 as a community-oriented extension of the African American studies department鈥攊s that she is in a position to make opportunities for others, and to foster the integration of the University and wider communities.

CFAC is located physically, as well ideologically, at the intersection of the University and the City of Syracuse. CFAC hosts exhibits, performances, lectures by visiting artists and scholars and programming like music lessons, writing workshops, and dance and art classes for youth and adults. CFAC programs draw attendance from both University and regional communities.

For Jackson, it was an intentional decision to teach her University courses鈥攚hich focus on Black representation and art鈥攊n the CFAC building. Her students learn about Black artists and consider issues of Blackness in visual culture within a space that has been committed to showcasing and supporting artists from the African diaspora, and providing arts programming the public, for more than 50 years.

鈥淟et鈥檚 pause here and take a look at what this filmmaker is really saying,鈥� Jackson says to a group of students in a recent class delving into works by Black filmmakers from the early years of cinema. She walks her students through an analysis of how the film they were viewing used emerging narratives of American identity and patriotism in the WWII era to challenge prevailing stereotypes about Black people. And then, when class ends, the students file past a gallery showing of a work about a Black entrepreneur during the Erie Canal era, and flyers welcoming them to join members of the communities around them in poetry slams, drumming workshops and conversations exploring the intersection of Muslim and Black identities in the same space they鈥檝e just had class.

鈥淗aving our class in the Community Folk Art Center breathes life into what we鈥檙e studying,鈥� says Emily Saad 鈥�24, a dual major in and . 鈥淲e get to feel like we're part of the community. While we鈥檙e taking our class, there are often kids there for their afterschool programs, and we鈥檙e surrounded by the work of incredible artists we might never have heard of if we鈥檇 just stayed on campus.鈥� Saad says she was initially drawn to Jackson鈥檚 course on Black representation in film because she wanted to learn more about an industry she鈥檚 interested in, but it has also solidified her career aspirations. 鈥淚 want to be part of uplifting marginalized voices in the entertainment industry,鈥� she says. 鈥淟earning about Black filmmakers and artists who really challenged and changed perceptions through their work鈥攖hat鈥檚 been very inspiring.鈥�

Doing the Work and Supporting Others

In her commitment to contextualize scholarship in terms of the value it can bring to communities outside academic spaces, Jackson says she is reflecting an intention built into African American studies as a discipline. 鈥淥ne of the objectives of Black studies is that our scholarship expands beyond the classroom and has impact in the community that leads to social change,鈥� she says. And, as a creator, teacher and supporter of the arts, Jackson relishes the chance to fulfil this intention and actively nurture the individual and communal healing made possible by creative expression.