Jacqueline (Jackie) Cousins

Jacqueline Cousins Oliva (b. 1984) graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art, where she studied drawing, Photoshop and animation, but her passion for art has been a lifelong pursuit and her training began earlier through art programs at Gallery 37 (an after-school arts training program) and The School of the Art Institute.

An avid pop culture commentator, Cousins’ drawings frequently feature popular entertainment, fashion and top news stories, offering social commentary as well as personal reflection. Cousins’ work focuses on the public realm, specifically the virtual public realm and examines the Internet as a space where anyone can do anything at any given moment. With a wit and clarity that mirrors her sleek, precise images, Cousins offers all her subjects – TV stars, wrestlers, musicians, athletes; and family and friends – equal treatment and importance, acknowledging the democratizing impact of the Internet’s openness. Cousins also offers weekly cultural commentary, focusing on wrestling and reality television, via her YouTube channel (youtube.com/princesszyaco). In April 2014, Cousins collaborated with handbag company, Urban Junket, to create fashion-plate illustrations of their line of blue handbags in order to promote Autism Awareness Month 2014. Jacqueline Cousins joined Project Onward in 2011 and currently lives in the neighborhood of Gresham.