Rebecca Jantzen

Rebecca Jantzen (b. 1973) is an interdisciplinary Bay Area artist. Since joining NIAD Art Center in 2017, she has explored storytelling and advocacy through printmaking, drawing, book arts, fiber arts, and ceramics. Her illustrated short stories – often geared specifically toward children – introduce complex, nuanced topics in accessible and compassionate ways. The narratives address themes such as housing insecurity, hospital stays, love and loss, policy and current events, and records of local flora and fauna. Among her recent projects is a hand-bound book composed of several dozen linoprints on pages inked with a rainbow gradient. Produced over multiple years, the book teaches the alphabet through a menagerie of real and mythological creatures. In books and beyond, Jantzen’s penchant for portraiture shines: in addition to animals, many works feature the sensitively drawn faces of care workers, colleagues, and community members. 

At NIAD, Jantzen is an active participant in the Artist Advisory Committee, a group which gathers regularly to shape the future of progressive art studios and advocate for change across intersectional social justice issues. Jantzen has dedicated herself to Disability Justice in particular, pulling from her experiences both providing and receiving care. Here, she explains what inspired the design for her revised Disability Pride Flag: 

“Growing up, the symbols I saw for disabilities were about the ones you can see on the outside, like the symbol of a person using a wheelchair or a cane. But I learned that disabilities can be upfront or they can be hidden.

 With that in mind, I created a Disability Pride Flag to say that all of the disabilities are important. I put a lightbulb symbol and the phrase “Let Your Light Shine” on the flag. For me, it’s about how we all have a light and a power inside. All of us are advocates in some way. We can speak up and say what we want to say to get things changed. We don’t have to hide in fear thinking we don’t count. We do count. That’s what I want to get across to people: we matter and our voices matter.” 

Jantzen has co-curated exhibitions that expand on these themes of empowerment for NIAD Art Center, including The Feeling of The Season of Love (2024) and Exploring Arts Through Sound (2023). She has participated in group exhibitions at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA; Getty Gallery, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA; Narrative Gallery, Oakland, CA; the Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA; and SAIC Wellness Center, Chicago, IL, among others. In 2024, her work was acquired for the permanent collection of the Regional Center for the East Bay. 

I describe myself as visually impaired and learning disabled. I am a socially engaged artist who loves her art work. I like to be a perfectionist at my drawings for myself. I’m a drawer who works with cartoon images and I like to work on still lifes.

A challenge for me is slowing down in my art work and working on structuring faces. I would like to develop my mixed media sculptures as a goal. An ambition I have is to publish and illustrate children’s stories.

I gear my art work more towards children’s illustration which causes me to use brighter colors in my art work. I love holidays and I like to make cards for special occasions. My art is based on the kind of mood I’m in at that moment. Trace Adkins is a favorite artist whose music I like and he’s cute to me.

I like to draw things that brighten up my spirit and the day; images of peace, love and happiness. When I drew Noah’s Ark the people in the drawing turned out to be similar to myself and my husband. One of the reasons I chose to draw the bee character is because I’m known as “Queen Bee” at NIAD. I try to put myself into my art sometimes. I like to go to different workshops to get more hands on learning and more ideas in my art. I like to use the techniques I learn to create projects on my own.

I like to draw pictures on card stock because it’s stronger. I outline my work with Sharpies to make it stand out more. I like to come up with silly creations and characters.

Sometimes I start with one project and keep building on it. It can evolve and change over time like with my maps, collages and fiber sculptures. I like to use anything and everything in art. To me there’s no limits on what materials can be used for art work. It’s just about having fun with art.