My mother is Maria Cruz, my grandmother is Eloisa Saavedra and my great-grandmother is Isidora Saavedra, matriarchs of the Ñätho (Otomí peoples). I am an Indigenous (Ñätho) queer artist living in Seattle, WA.  Art filled my home growing up- my siblings and I spent the days re-creating the art we admired on TV or in the black and white copies of paintings my mom photocopied from the public library and taped around the house. As I navigated higher education my art saved me when I felt overwhelmed by the pressure of working full time and going to school full time. I always found myself gravitating towards art, making art for friends and family but always reminding myself that my art was not real art, because I did not have formal art training. Throughout the years I have realized that I do not need formal training for the art I create. My soul speaks through my art. In my art you will see the aesthetics of my Mexican and Ñätho stories. In my art, you see the visual representation of my soul, and the colors, the culture, the visions and the dreams that live there. My business name, Maese: Art by Eileen Jimenez, is in honor of my mother, Maria Cruz Jimenez, the true maese (teacher/renaissance person) of my life.

In my current body of work I focus on the embodiment of the divine that is manifested through our bodies and our hands specifically. I use linocut and mixed media techniques to develop my own ways of telling stories in the complex layers that they exist in and to demonstrate the ways that we are connected to the Land and to each other.

Currently:
I am enjoying learning about myself, reflecting about my experiences and healing. I work full time at a community college supporting students navigate higher education and trying to dismantle white supremacist and institutional racist policies and structures. I am currently in an EdD in higher education program at the Muckleshoot Tribal College and the University of Washington, Tacoma. I am loving reading and learning and you will probably see the themes of decolonized education in my current body of work.

vision statement:

As an Indigenous leader, community member, and as an artist, everything I do and create is influenced by my many intersecting identities and lived experiences. I create the art, the structures, the programming and the educational experiences I wish my community and I would have seen and had access to as a girl from the 'hood. My leadership is grounded in community and specifically, I believe it is my role to continue to show up, disrupt the dominant narrative, and gain access to institutional resources to share them with my community. My family’s stories, values, theories and practices keep me feeling whole throughout this process and I find support in my community through community care.