About Teresa
Founder and principal of ABOVEblue Projects, Teresa Jaynes directs projects of high artistic quality that cultivate community engagement through inclusive and equitable processes. The name ABOVEblue reflects the aspirational nature of each endeavor: a powerful vision that emerges through the collaborative exchange of diverse ideas, expertise, and perspectives.
An artist and cultural consultant working at the intersection of contemporary art, public history, and education, Teresa earned an MFA in Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Her experience as an artist taught her how to realize ambitious cultural projects through collective endeavor. For more than two decades, she has led multidisciplinary collaborations among artists, scholars, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and community partners, focusing on initiatives that do not fit neatly within a single institution or discipline. Accessibility is at the heart of every project — whether through inclusive planning processes, universal design in exhibitions, or the creation of public spaces that foster connection and belonging.
A Pew and MacDowell Fellow, Teresa has worked with libraries, archives, and special collections since 1995, drawn to the ways historical materials can ground contemporary inquiry and open unexpected pathways for public engagement. At Lenapehoking~Watershed, a five-year consulting initiative she directed, artist- and community-led programs helped residents feel seen and welcomed at environmental education centers, with artists serving as interpreters who created meaningful, nature-based experiences of inclusion.
Her consulting and artistic practices share the same foundation: transforming an initial idea into a fully realized concept through a guided collaborative process. Both involve building partnerships among organizations whose combined expertise makes possible what none could accomplish alone. Throughout each project, Teresa provides strategic leadership from the earliest stages of concept development through implementation and final reporting — shaping the vision, building the team, and delivering complex initiatives on time and within budget.
Based in Philadelphia, Teresa continues to partner with artists, cultural organizations, educational institutions, and community leaders to create projects that expand access, deepen public engagement, and strengthen the civic role of art and culture.