Sparking a sense of empathy and advocacy through art

Look toward East Anchorage for one of the trendiest galleries in town. Newly housed within The Arc of Anchorage’s main campus is Sparc, a studio and learning space that serves individuals who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities, and uses creativity to celebrate expression and promote independence. Sparc was spun off from The Arc of Anchorage in 2014 due to the popularity of its art program.

Starting as an intern during her senior year, UAA art alumna Jessi Saiki works at Sparc as a direct support professional, teaching classes on printmaking, newsletters, digital photography and ceramics — her specialty. Saiki credits the diverse skills she learned at UAA for preparing her to teach the wide variety of disciplines she covers at Sparc.

“At UAA I learned a combination of things that all artists need when they’re developing their expressive voice,” said Saiki. “I had really great mentors who helped me learn foundational and important technical skills across mediums. In my classes, I had a really safe environment and open-minded community where I could make deeply personal art and express what was coming from inside.”

Sparc’s mission resonates on a personal level with Saiki. Born in Anchorage but raised in Wasilla, she experienced a traumatic brain injury as a high school freshman.

“I totally would describe art as a coping mechanism, a cathartic relief for a lot of thoughts and emotions,” said Saiki. “I see it as a mental health tool. I definitely see things that come out of my art as things that I’m working through mentally, emotionally or subconsciously.”

According to Saiki, her traumatic brain injury occasionally makes her memory a little hazy. But one thing she’ll never forget is how her grandmother was her artistic inspiration and continues to be her mentor.

“I’ve been hand-building and throwing on the wheel since I was a child,” said Saiki. “One of my first ceramic experiences that I can remember is my nana brought up a whole bunch of clay in her suitcase and we did an open pit fire in our backyard. She is my artistic mentor who facilitated the best learning environment for art of all mediums.”

Outside of her day job, Saiki continues to be a passionate advocate for mental health and disability awareness, citing a lack of research around traumatic brain injuries that persists even today as one of the reasons she started to get involved.

Earlier this year, Saiki traveled to Juneau with the Key Coalition of Alaska to participate in the annual Key Campaign. Over the course of one week, people who experience disabilities, their family members and the professionals who work in the organizations supporting them meet with politicians to fundraise and recommend improvements to quality of life services.

“I’m very fortunate in my experience and feel like it’s my duty to be an advocate. I see the things that go on within the system firsthand and I hear people’s stories. Whatever I can do to improve their situation and improve their quality of life, I want to do that,” said Saiki. “It’s absolutely my duty and that’s within the system of the place that I work, but also in the larger governmental systems. I think lots of people see and hear stories that we can all be speaking up and advocating about.”

For anyone who wants to get more involved but perhaps doesn’t know where to start, Saiki suggests the first step is as simple as having a sense of empathy.

“As a society, I hope that we grow to be more appreciative of art as a tool and art’s historical value,” said Saiki. “I also hope we grow to be more empathetic and aware of the things that are going on around us, even within situations and social circles that we’re not completely aware of because it’s outside our experience. That’s definitely something that UAA has done for me. Through my education, I feel like I’ve gained this new awareness and empathy that is mine and no one can ever take that away from me, and that’s so empowering.”

 

Written by Matt Jardin, UAA Office of University Advancement