About Jess
Jess McPherson is a master artisan and arts & culture strategist with twenty years of experience in the arts & culture impact sector. Jess holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. She believes in the ability of the arts and the strength of cultural connectedness to build unique, robust, and thriving communities. Her depth of experience as a professional artist, curator, cultural educator, and creative entrepreneur, along with her leadership guiding not for profit cultural organizations through periods of growth and change, shape her perspective and inform her careful approach to social impact. She currently owns and operates Jess McPherson Arts & Consulting in York, PA, co-creating strategies for growth with individual artists and culturally-centered initiatives throughout the MidAtlantic.
Arts & Culture Impact Consulting
- Are you a Native Organization looking to do some board development, strategic planning, or leadership consultation?
- Are you an arts/arts advocacy or an Indigenous org looking to evaluate or design programs or systems that provide more meaningful impact in your community?
- Are you an educator looking for an arts & culture impact expert with a strong background in Urban Indian or Central PA/Maryland Indigenous experience?
Click below to request a consultation.
Jess in the booth at Nottoway Powwow.
Surry, VA, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Brenda Williams.
Master Artisan Made Fine Craft
Jess McPherson has been awarded the title of Master Artisan by the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen for her handwrapped threadwork jewelry mastering the benchmarks of excellence in execution, resolved design, and unique voice.
Artist Statement
My current work focuses on hand-wrapped threadwork jewelry, an amalgam of proficiency in the contemporary craft of threadwork combined with inspiration found in my dad’s garage, my studies in fine art, and my efforts to process the very human experiences of love and grief, holding moments to remember and intentions for strength, balance, and focus through the journey. This work connects the threads of histories past and present, pulling them forward, intertwining and weaving them into new stories carried forward into new futures by each wearer.
Alongside the making of these unique works, I explore things that bring me joy in eastern woodlands aesthetics, pulling together contemporary life and historical influence to create cultural connection points celebrating Susquehanna and Mid-Atlantic Native communities. I hope for each wearer to feel seen and recognized by their audience and community. It gives me great joy to see my customers wear my work at moments when they want look and feel their best selves.
(Jess McPherson, November, 2023)
Copyright Jess McPherson, 2024.