Jeresneyka (Jeh-Reh-Snay-Kah) Rose, known as Rizzo, is a self-taught, thriving, visual artist, educator and community advocate who originates from Brooklyn, New York. The first-generation American was raised in Southeast Colorado Springs, Colorado. The graduate of Harrison High School in Harrison District 2 has always had a natural exquisite intuition for art, but rarely explored her talents. Throughout her evolution into adulthood, she rediscovered her love for art and began her creative career in May 2014. Amongst the plethora of inspiration in the world, she primarily draws inspiration from her Panamanian heritage, Black American experience, pop-culture, community, and environmental influences. 

Rose has developed and led influential arts projects across the region, building curriculum and facilitating educational and community engagement with residents of all ages and abilities. Rose’s recent projects include Columbia Elementary School’s 5th Grade Legacy Mural Project, Hillside Hub Oral History & Mural Project with Food to Power, Panorama Park Tile Art Project in partnership with Pikes Peak Library District and Trust for Public Land, and Pencils in the Park in partnership with Generation Wild at the Catamount Institute. 

In addition to her freelance artistry, Rose has spent the past two years serving as one of the two inaugural CORE (Community Outreach with Resident Experts) Fellows for the Trust for Public Land. Through her role as a CORE Fellow, she was instrumental in community and youth engagement for the Panorama Park remodel. She opened the Solid Rock Community Development Corportation CommUNITY Food Pantry in 2020. She has been an active member on RAWTools Board of Directors since 2020, and Westside Cares Board of Directors since 2021. Her public speaking, volunteerism, and activism have advanced issues like mental health, education, gun violence, housing and food insecurity. 

Rose was the 2023 Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corporation’s Cultural Impact Award Winner, the 2022 recipient of the Colorado Springs Mayor’s Young Leader Award in Creative Industry and Trust for Public Land’s Community at the Center Award. She is currently the Program Manager of Education at the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and a Recreation Assistant with the City of Colorado Springs Deerfield Hills Community Center. 

Learn more about Jeresneyka on social media @artbyrizzo or on her website.