Blackshack Artventures
Repurposing post-consumer goods and upcycling unexpected materials to make unique fashion accessories
Who is behind Blackshack Artventures and these quirky custom pieces?
Jess (or JJ as they're known among friends) was born on a hot summer night in the late 1980s. They were always an artistic child, staring at their walls and popcorn ceilings visualizing scenes and objects. being a person who is willing to try just about anything once, jess did at one time venture to see what the fluid of a Stretch Armstrong doll tasted like....some say this was the exact moment when the artist was born.
After coming out as gay in high school, Jess later started to frequent gay bars. Immediately attracted to the art and glamour that surrounded the world of drag, Jess saw the fierceness of drag queens and connected with them in any way possible. Jess knew immediately that they had found community and family, and that this was the beginning of something wonderful yet to come.
Jess's first purse was made for Pandora Boxx back in 2010. Drawing inspiration from Pandora's racecar-themed outfit during Rupaul's drag race season 2 reunion special, Jess created a monopoly dress and two matching board game purses for Themself and Pandora. The fated meeting between them was the beginning of things to come to fruition regarding Pandora and the Rochester queens.
(If you know, you know. <3)
Today, many of our favorite drag queens are sporting Blackshack Artventures purses and accessories. Whether it was the popcorn ceilings or the Stretch Armstrong juice, something turned Jess into an artist early on. Drag Queens were their muses and unexpected materials such as board games and tablescape supplies from the dollar store have been some of their tools. If you are a fan of drag queens, then you are already a fan of Blackshack Artventures!
In addition to all of this jess is also a hobby photographer and holds two college degrees (so far), an Associates in American Sign Language from Onondaga Community College (OCC) in Syracuse, NY, and a Bachelors in American Sign Language Interpreter Education alongside a Certificate in Performing Arts from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY. Jess has been learning ASL since they were about eight years old and has been involved in the Deaf community and realized they were meant to be an interpreter since they were about eleven years old.
The rest, as they say, is history.