Tessa Jackson

Jane Thérèse "Tessa" Jackson OBE (born 5 November 1955) is a British contemporary art curator, writer and administrator.^[1]

The daughter of John Nevill Jackson and Viva Christian Thérèse (née Blomfield) Jackson, she was educated at the University of East Anglia, the University of Manchester and the University of Bristol, where she took her Master's degree.^[1]

She served as CEO of the London-based Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva) in London, from 2010-15.^[2][3]

Career[]

In 1988, Jackson was appointed as the director of the Arnolfini (Bristol's contemporary art venue), in which she played a leading role in the redevelopment of the institution.^[4]

In 1999, she was appointed director of the Scottish Arts Council, where she was responsible for the public funding of the arts in Scotland.^[5] After two years in post, she left, after falling out with SAC chairman James Boyle.^[6]

In 2002, she became the founding artistic director and chief executive of the Artes Mundi Prize, a contemporary art prize in Wales, a position which she held until 2010.^[7] Simultaneously, she was also the chair of the Edinburgh Art Festival between 2005-10.^[8]

Appointed to her position as CEO of Iniva in 2009, she has continued to uphold the organisation's remit to bring leading black, Asian, African, Middle-Eastern, Caribbean, Oceanic and Latin American contemporary artists from around the world to the London venue, which had become, in 2007, the capital's first purpose-built, publicly funded international contemporary art gallery since the Hayward Gallery in 1968.^{[citation needed]}

Speaking to LabKulture in 2011, Jackson stated that her aim at Iniva was, "to diversify how we look at society – through the visual arts... poking society in the ribs a little bit and reminding us there are different view points, different histories that historically in Britain we haven’t always given a proper platform to."^[9] During her time at Iniva, the organisation's Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation core funding was reduced by 75% following an exposé by the art critic which deemed the organisation unfit for it's purpose.^[10]

Following her departure from Iniva in 2015,^[3] Jackson was appointed to the board of trustees of The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.^[11] In 2021, during her time as chair of the artistic committee, the centre faced a mass boycott by artists of the Chinese community following a refusal to engage in discussions on racism with Chinese Artist groups. The boycott was triggered by an open letter written by the artist JJ Chan citing a culture of institutional racism and the dominance of white perspectives within the organisation at all levels.^[12]

Awards[]

In 2011, Jackson was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Year's Honours List, in recognition for her 25 years of service to art.^[1]

Selected bibliography[]

• Francesco Bonami; Joel Snyder; Tessa Jackson (2004). Fiona Tan: Correction. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. ISBN 9780933856844.
• Tessa Jackson, ed. (2004). Artes Mundi. Seren. ISBN 9781854113696.
• Tessa Jackson; Owen Sheers; Ann Jones (2011). Tim Davies. Riding House. ISBN 9781905464432.
• Tessa Jackson; Jane Lee (1993). Tracy Mackenna: Purposeful Invisibility. Arnolfini. ASIN B0041U7ULC.
• Sophie Bowness; David Chipperfield; Frances Guy; Jackie Heuman; Tessa Jackson; Simon Wallis; Gordon Watson (2011). Barbara Hepworth: The Plasters The Gift to Wakefield. Lund Humphries. ISBN 9781848220669.

Notes[]