California native, Debra Jackson is an award-winning Senior Graphic Designer for Residential & Dining Enterprises at Stanford University. Prior to Stanford, her background was in broadcast television and high-tech media markets. Her passions are her family and friends, delicious food, and incredible design, especially interior and clothing design. Debra designed the Tapestry of Voices logo that you see here, as well as this website.

Artist Statement:

Exhibit #1, titled #stopthetrade, is a political cartoon which was hand-drawn using ink, pencil and watercolor by Debra in 2017, to raise awareness of wild animal poaching throughout the world, particularly affecting the rhinoceros in Africa, which are facing extinction as they are poached on a daily basis, their horns sold on the black market.

The artwork inspired Botswana’s Swamp Stop Safari Lodge to host a fundraiser for the Great Plains Conservation, Rhinos without Borders Project, They move the rhino from South Africa to safety in Botswana, which has low densities of rhino and the best anti-poaching record on the continent. $49,000.00 US was raised for their efforts on September 8, 2017, at the fundraiser. A true measure of how art can change the world.

Published August 25, 2017 by the Ngami Times in Botswana, Africa. The piece was a contender in THE UNITED NATIONS/RANAN LURIE POLITICAL CARTOON AWARDS, 2017.

Exhibit #2 is inspired by Andy Warhol, using his thoughtful color techniques in capturing Ricky, the adorable small dog. Characterized by bold, vibrant, and contrasting colors, the highly saturated, flat color blocks, rather than nuanced shading, give this work a graphic, poster-like quality. It is this color treatment that make everyday subjects appear surreal and fun to look at. This piece is a digital work.