A quaint and historic destination for visual, literary and performance art in Detroit, the Scarab Club announced Donna Jackson as the new gallery manager.
With more than 20 years of experience in design, project management and cultural programming in the city, Jackson says she’s looking forward to building on the legacy of the Scarab Club, which was founded in 1907, while creating new opportunities for artists and art lovers.
“We are delighted to welcome Donna Jackson to the Scarab Club,” said Scarab Club’s executive director Kathryn Dimond, in a press release announcing the appointment in March. “Her unique combination of artistic vision, marketing expertise, and commitment to community engagement makes her the ideal person to lead our gallery program into its next chapter.”
Read on for our recent conversation with Jackson, who is the first Black woman to manage the gallery for the Scarab Club. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for length and clarity.
Q: We know that you studied at Western Michigan University and the College for Creative Studies, but tell us a little bit more about where you grew up and how you started getting into art before your college days.
A: I’m born and bred here in Detroit. When I was growing up, it was just west side or east side, but I was in centralized Detroit. I actually went to Central High, so that probably helps a little bit. As far as I can remember, I always drew. I was a kind of timid kid, quiet kid. Even at 5 years old, I remember really drawing. It was something that allowed me to express myself being a quiet kid, and that just stayed with me throughout elementary, middle and even high school. It’s something that, again, allows me to just kind of be me, understand me as kind of a quieter, more introverted person. It’s been with me the whole time, and I don’t see that going away.
Q: Talk to us a bit about your personal history with the Scarab Club. You’ve curated events there and now you’re the gallery manager.
A: The first time I visited, there was most likely years before I understood what the Scarab Club was. I was at the Detroit Institute of Arts — and this is probably most people’s experience, is that you see this beautiful building across from the Detroit Institute of Arts, and you take a chance and you open the door and you’re going in and you’re amazed that all of these galleries are there. All these nice people are there, and all this art activity is happening in that space. From there, it was on my radar.
After that, I had done a couple of presentations there to focus on art and careers and just some of these basic things maybe artists need, like how to write a bio, how to get your CV together. So that was kind of my, in a more professional way, coming in there and not just a stalker of art in that space. Then I got an opportunity to curate an exhibition in 2022 or 2023 — during those COVID years it’s all kind of a blur, right — it was an exhibition featuring art based off of W.E.B. DuBois’ essay “The Souls of Black Folk” and being able to display works from local Detroiters, all Black artists, it was a really great experience. Really, truly, Scarab has been family since then. And now, here I am able to really direct what really happens in that gallery, and I’m so excited about that.
Q: Now that you are the gallery director, what are some of your plans for the near future?
A: So right now there are some things that are already on the schedule, so just working through some of those fabulous exhibitions that feature some of the things that go on in Detroit. We have an exhibition on an Iranian-American artist that’s coming up in the next month. We have an exhibition that’s really focusing on the hot artists that are up-and-coming, and just being able to display those folks and give them a space to be seen and to shine.
One that’s a favorite of mine is a poster exhibition, which is something I adore. I think posters are an amazing art media and artform. During the Month of Design we’ll be displaying posters from Detroit, of course, but also other areas like New York and L.A. and from all over the world. So that’s what’s coming up.
But as far as myself, as I get a chance to start working on like 2026 and 2027, I’m really interested in the things that make us human and those things that we have similarities in, and really kind of leaning into those stories of us, our humanity. There are a lot of identity exhibitions that I see, which are wonderful and they’re needed, especially now, but I also would like to lean into those things that are very much similar as a human being when you think about things like grief or work or laughter or happiness or loneliness or family. These are things that most all of us could in some way understand and have a perspective on. I would like to, through the arts, have more of those kinds of conversations that bring us together and see sameness and not just those things that may be different about each of us.
That what I’m hoping to get a chance to do while also celebrating our diversity because Metro Detroit is such an amazing space culturally. To ignore that would be a shame.
Q: The Gilda Snowden exhibit is wrapping up this weekend at the Scarab Club and it looks like the next big event is the Masquerade Ball on April 12. Can you tell us more about that?
A: The Masquerade Ball is an upcoming fundraiser that we are having at the Scarab club. You can come dressed up in your mask and have loads of fun, and at the same time you’re supporting Scarab Club and all the different things we do.
Visit scarabclub.org for more information on the upcoming ball and other events this spring and summer.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
