Key Takeaways
- • Maria Rosario Jackson, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (2022–January 2025), has returned to Arizona State University with a new role as University Professor of Creativity and Social Impact, based in Los Angeles.
- • Jackson was the NEA's 13th chair and the first African American and first Mexican American woman to hold the position, appointed by President Joe Biden to promote an expansive concept of "artful life" encompassing arts consumption, creation, teaching, and community engagement.
- • During her NEA tenure, Jackson established cross-agency partnerships with the Department of Health and Human Services, EPA, FEMA, Department of Labor, and Department of Transportation to integrate arts and culture into federal policy and disaster recovery efforts.
- • At ASU, Jackson will lead the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities, leveraging her background in community development, public policy, and urban planning to position arts and design as catalysts for healthy, equitable communities.
Summary
Maria Rosario Jackson has returned to Arizona State University following the conclusion of her tenure as the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, a position she held from 2022 through January 2025. Appointed by President Joe Biden, Jackson made history as the first African American and first Mexican American woman to lead the federal arts agency. She has assumed the role of University Professor of Creativity and Social Impact at ASU, based in Los Angeles, where she will advance her long-standing focus on integrating arts, culture, and design as drivers of community development and social equity.
Jackson's platform as NEA chair centered on democratizing access to and participation in the arts. She articulated her vision through the concept of an "artful life"—a comprehensive framework extending beyond traditional consumption of professional art to encompass creative production, instruction, and learning across all skill levels and demographics. This inclusive approach reflected her conviction that arts and cultural engagement should be embedded throughout community life rather than treated as a specialized domain.
During her NEA leadership, Jackson significantly expanded the agency's collaborative reach by establishing partnerships with multiple federal departments. These collaborations included the Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Labor, and Department of Transportation. Notably, her work with FEMA emphasized enhancing the agency's capacity to serve culturally diverse communities during disaster recovery and resilience efforts, demonstrating a strategic integration of cultural competency into federal emergency response infrastructure.
At ASU, Jackson will continue this trajectory through the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities, which she created previously. Her appointment reflects the university's institutional commitment to positioning creativity and cultural engagement as mechanisms for addressing systemic inequities and fostering sustainable, inclusive community development. Jackson's multidisciplinary background—spanning comprehensive community development, public policy, and urban planning—positions her to bridge academic research, institutional practice, and policy implementation in the social impact sector.
Jackson's platform as NEA chair centered on democratizing access to and participation in the arts. She articulated her vision through the concept of an "artful life"—a comprehensive framework extending beyond traditional consumption of professional art to encompass creative production, instruction, and learning across all skill levels and demographics. This inclusive approach reflected her conviction that arts and cultural engagement should be embedded throughout community life rather than treated as a specialized domain.
During her NEA leadership, Jackson significantly expanded the agency's collaborative reach by establishing partnerships with multiple federal departments. These collaborations included the Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Labor, and Department of Transportation. Notably, her work with FEMA emphasized enhancing the agency's capacity to serve culturally diverse communities during disaster recovery and resilience efforts, demonstrating a strategic integration of cultural competency into federal emergency response infrastructure.
At ASU, Jackson will continue this trajectory through the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities, which she created previously. Her appointment reflects the university's institutional commitment to positioning creativity and cultural engagement as mechanisms for addressing systemic inequities and fostering sustainable, inclusive community development. Jackson's multidisciplinary background—spanning comprehensive community development, public policy, and urban planning—positions her to bridge academic research, institutional practice, and policy implementation in the social impact sector.
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