Meet Angelique Jackson of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelique Jackson.

Hi Angelique, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started drawing pretty pictures as far back as I can remember. Recently, I found a watercolor I had created in the 3rd grade. It pictured 2 goldfish in a round glass bowl. I had drawn not only the swimming fish, but also their reflection on the surface of the water! I want to believe I was destined to be an artist, but my formal training was in mechanical drafting. Before I completed my college studies, I was hired by Ken Williams, the founder of Southern Metalcraft, Inc., here in Atlanta, GA. I was privileged with the opportunity to continue my education with hands-on experience and with a great man and mentor. I drafted for him by hand in intricate detail, control panels for Southern Railways, housing units for Georgia Power and vault doors for an Atlanta bank now known as Truist. I learned about the capabilities and fabrication techniques of structural steel and aluminum. As it turned out, this was invaluable information as it enabled me to design and draft structural metal framework to support my future large-scale artworks.

During this time, I was also approached (no begged) by JoAnn Jancik (co-founder of what was to become Jancik Arts International, Inc.) to draw patterns for her as she delved into stained-glass as a hobby. We eventually developed a business together, but only after an observant friend suggested that we should actually sell our glass art rather than toss it in the trash can. So, with what we considered our practice panels and with $5,000 from JoAnn’s retirement fund as start-up capital, we opened our business in 1979. We moved to central Florida where the cost of living was more affordable than Atlanta. From there, we entered high-end fine arts sidewalk festivals throughout the state. We worked 12-14 hour days designing and fabricating (on average 3′ x 3′ ) wood framed autonomous panels, worked without health insurance or vacations and, as it turned out, without patience for the general public. After a year on the circuit, I announced that the Indian Rocks Beach Art Show would be my last. I was ready to quit it all. Then, when loading our van to leave, a young couple who had purchased a round contemporary stained-glass panel from us asked if I would please place it in the best light in their home located a block away. I reluctantly and LUCKILY did. That was it! I knew from that moment forward that we were destined to design and fabricate art with the structure/environment and client in mind. We were to manifest the opportunity to seek our full potential as creatives. We were well equipped. JoAnn had the skill to fabricate anything my imagination could muster (a designer’s dream come true) and my design demands developed her skills as a master in her craft.

However, to materialize this architectural art glass (and eventually art metal) vision, we asked our accountant friend to purchase all the materials needed for our first large-scale project. In return, we provided the design, fabrication, and installation of a 6′ wide x 6′ high stained-glass wall for his office. That was in 1980 when stained-glass was a very popular hobby in the US. We quickly realized that we needed to set ourselves apart as serious artists, therefore began overhead work. We created compound curved stained-glass ceiling domes with structural steel frames where my drafting experience came in handy. These domes, first residential then commercial, can be found throughout the globe. Some are 30′ in diameter installed aboard cruise ships such as the Queen Elizabeth, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). Other commissions include Walt Disney World, EPCOT, Latter-Day Saints Temples, and many other respected structures and venues.

While JoAnn still creates stained-glass in our Florida renovated barn, in the early 90’s I moved back to Atlanta to continue my work with Jancik Arts and to be closer to family, friends and an international airport to service my increased travel demands.

Today, in addition to stained glass, Jancik Arts has invented an incredible new product called Luminux that is a high-reflective aluminum material with UV ink graphics, revolutionizing the industry of antique mirror, art graphic panels and reflective ceiling sculpture.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As Canadian poet Karen Solie says of her vocation, “Failure is at the heart of poetry”. The same can be said of all our poetic life endeavors whether it be as artists, entrepreneurs, business professionals, parents, friends – you name it. My belief is that success is a series of failures. The trick to longevity is to never stop improving, never stop learning, never stop trying. So, yes, there has been at times smooth sailing like the concepts of my artwork on paper, but for sure there have been struggles. It was especially difficult in our first 5 years of business. We had little start-up capital and wore too many hats such as learning the ropes of operating a legitimate company: legal aspects, liability insurance requirements, accounting and tax responsibilities, project management, Proposal and Invoicing development for custom products, collections, communication across all trades, marketing and much more, all while producing literally hundreds of square feet of handcrafted products. Plenty of failures. Plenty of learning. Plenty of success.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am Angelique Jackson, Chief Creative Officer and President of Jancik Arts International, Inc./Luminux. I specialize in Architectural Art Glass and Art Metal, both two and three-dimensional work. Yesterday, I was known for stained-glass ceiling domes, Today, Luminux Creative Reflective Panels and Tomorrow, Luminux Aerial Ceiling Sculptures. One of our most impressive commissions included 26 massive Luminux sculptures suspended in the National Building Museum in Washington, DC and our most recent installation, a four-story high sculpture located in the Tanner Medical courtyard, Carrollton, GA.

I am most proud that all our work originates in the US, that we conscientiously do not use AI in our creative process and that I continue to grow the business in a relevant, resilient and environmentally responsible direction.

After buying JoAnn’s share of Jancik Arts International, Inc. (we still work together), I continued our pattern of growth. Just as the business evolved from small stained-glass panels to large art glass domes, it was time to progress even further. I had the good fortune to meet Pierre Thiault who heads our Business Development Department. (He and I met in a Toastmasters Meeting of all places!). He helped enable Jancik Arts to change the ebb and flow complexion of the company with his organizational skills, good insight into improving production, original thinking, and exceptional customer service. He also convinced me to develop a new out-of-the-box Jancik Arts product called Luminux.

Luminux is already revolutionizing the world of antique mirrors with its high-reflective aluminum sheets (4’x8′ and 4’x10′ in size x .020″ in thickness) with added UV printed graphics. These graphics mimic the look of hand applied antique glass mirror. However, unlike glass, Luminux is lightweight (for ease and shipping and handling), affordable, eco-friendly, sustainable, Class A Fire Rated, customizable (or one can choose from our 32 standard designs), can be cut on-site for needed modifications or CNC cut to any shape in-shop. It’s even bendable!

Luminux Creative Director Gary Bannister, with his exemplary graphic and artistic skills, has broadened our reach beyond the antique mirror market. In addition to our 32 Design Collection, Gary creates a multitude of graphics for our clients such as branding, his original artwork, the illusion of beveled glass, and even the transformation of ink on the aluminum reflective surface to appear as if a brass or copper metal. Gary also closely collaborates with me in the development of custom sculptures plus our new, exciting standard line called Luminux Aerial Ceiling Sculptures recently introduced and available now.

Luminux is currently installed on ceilings, walls, room dividers and sculptures throughout the US in hospitality properties, healthcare facilities, commercial settings, airports, botanical gardens and museums.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
-I won the 1st women’s basketball scholarship at the University of Georgia. (Far from a full ride!) -I enjoy constructing small-scale handcrafted models of our sculpture work (lots of foam core board and glue guns involved)
-I happily built tree forts as a kid (until age 14!)
-I read poetry every morning with my coffee to start the day (Mary Oliver is my favorite)
-I am a healthy business owner who happens to manage bipolar disorder beautifully (with the help of so many in my life)

Pricing:

• All Jancik Arts products are competitively priced

Contact Info:

• Website: www.luminuxpanels.com, www.jancikarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminuxpanels/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550635618204
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luminuxpanels/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@luminuxpanels
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/luminuxpanels/

Image Credits
Head shot by: Tracey Attlee/Tracey Attlee Photography & Video Ocean Princess Stained Glass dome photos by: Drew Stauss/Departure Movable Studio, Inc.