Meet Jayashree Krishnan | Visual Artist/Design Technology Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jayashree Krishnan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jayashree, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I have always been inspired by nature from my childhood days. All of the credit goes to my loving parents who wanted me to experience the wonderful nature in different places of South India, especially in the State of Tamil Nadu, where I was born and raised. I was fascinated to experience the unique collection of flora and fauna throughout that particular region. After moving to the United States, I was inspired visiting the Olympic National Park, lavender fields (Washington State), International Rose Test Garden (Oregon), National Cherry Blossom Festival (Washington DC), bluebonnets and art museums in and around Texas. Last but not least, I am inspired by my mentors, who have instilled my love for arts, culture, and people around the globe.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Recognizing my love for multicultural arts and crafts, my family and friends encouraged me to start my home-based art studio “Arts by Jaya.” A variety of materials, such as clay, stones, paper, wooden beads, and fabric, are used in making my art jewelry. An interesting component of my jewelry making is selecting a unique concept and design that will make it an exquisite statement piece. Working as a full-time educator did not provide me with enough time to plan and work on different craft projects that I hoped to teach young children in my community through workshops.

In order to have a balance between my love for teaching and art, I decided to work part-time as a design technology educator at a private school in Dallas, and as a result I was able to spend more time to further improve my artistic skills. The interesting part of being an educator is that I try to integrate 2 and 3-dimensional multicultural art projects into my design curriculum. Apart from making art jewelry, I have recently been painting on wooden trays using motifs of flora and fauna associated with Asian culture. Buyers love my art pieces and encourage me to create something unique through their words of appreciation. Being an educator, I always enjoy sharing my knowledge on multicultural arts and culture with the world.

I am excited to have published several articles in Canada, India, and the United States on how fauna and floral symbolism is used within Asian culture over the past decade. Readers from around the world have supported me not only for the effort I have put in writing educational articles on symbolisms on fauna and flora, but also for showcasing exquisite art pieces that I have made. Apart from being a visual artist and design technology educator, I am passionate about hosting fundraisers over the past couple of years – trying to support charitable organizations in Tamil Nadu, India. The famous quote “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love,” by Mother Teresa, sums up my desire to contribute to society and encourage women empowerment.

I am grateful to the almighty for giving me an opportunity to be featured on Dallas Morning News for my philanthropic work in 2022. Recently, I hosted a papercraft workshop as a part of my fundraiser in two cities (Frisco and Irving) for a charitable organization, Smile Train, headquartered in New York, which provides corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Dallas is a beautiful city where you can find people from essentially every ethnic background, providing a wide range of restaurants. I would definitely take my friend to some of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in the city and also to some of the best attractions in Dallas, namely the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Museum of Illusions, Dallas Museum of Art (which is one of the largest art museums in America), the Reunion Tower (which has a revolving restaurant with a 360-degree view over Dallas!), Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, and Grandscape in The Colony, where many fun events and concerts take place. Last but not least, I would take my friend to the Fort Worth Stockyards, which hosts the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive and has rodeo contests, shopping, and dining – making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I would dedicate my shoutout to my family. While growing up, my parents gave me great opportunities to get inspired by nature as they took me to beautiful places in South India, rich in culture and heritage. As the years went by, my supportive husband and two wonderful sons continued to encourage and help me in showcasing my love for multicultural arts to the world. Secondly, I would shoutout to my friends for encouraging and motivating me to take my artistic skills to the next level. Last but not least, I would dedicate my shoutout to all of the national and international magazines who have recognized me for my philanthropic work and have given me great opportunities to express my passion for multicultural arts and crafts by publishing my articles.

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Image Credits
Melissa Staab and Vikram Mohan