Artist Registry: Jessi Aaron
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↓ Artist Biography
Born in 1978 in Southern California as the first child of her single mother, Jessi was born without the use of her arms and legs. Despite doctors’ recommendations to institutionalize her because of a (misdiagnosed) severe cognitive defect, Jessi’s mother kept her and moved to Oregon, where services for the severely disabled were more advanced. Jessi’s grandmother, a professional artist, accompanied them in the move. Art, music and literature were a constant source of pleasure and expression for Jessi as she grew up. In high school, while her main focus was foreign languages , Jessi took courses in painting, drawing and photography. At Stanford, Jessi double majored in Political Science and Spanish. In her spare time, Jessi continued to study painting and other languages. She also participated twice in Mexico study abroad programs; the vibrant colors of this country can be seen in much of her artwork. Jessi stopped painting after she graduated from Stanford in 1999. Jessi now works in a tenure-track position in sociolinguistics in the department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Florida. She has published several articles in internationally recognized academic journals.
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