Ms. Aleathea Sapp-Jimenez was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is of Caribbean-American descent. One of six children, Sapp-Jimenez fondly recalls watching her big sister Laurie sketch Spiderman at the end of her bed, and a single treasured childhood birthday gift received from her brother Lindell. Sapp-Jimenez’ art has been inspired and influenced by family, life experience and community.

In those days, Sapp-Jimenez took what she could from her parents' rearing which was the gift of a business mind from her mother and an ever evolving art talent from a complex father. Her late mother was a self made woman. Mother Thelma was a registered nurse and then a small business owner of a Beauty and Barber Supply Store. There, Sapp-Jimenez learned how a business functioned, how to provide customer service, how to engage with the community in a way that would inspire collaboration and the importance of unity amongst marginalized groups. Her late Father Neil, a city bus driver by occupation, was a gifted oil painter. Sapp-Jimenez learned the depth of color from him as he expressed himself via landscapes and the creation of faces. Painting nature and his environment allowed him to express his inner feelings of darkness. Although initially seeking a traditional path in attending college, Sapp-Jimenez ultimately got the art education she was seeking in her late Uncle Floyd. He was a muralist. His art expressed Black American impressions of culture and Sapp-Jimenez took great inspiration from him. It was evident that the Sapp blood line ran deep with artistic talent. Life experience.

 

Sapp-Jimenez worked as the Cultural Enrichment Specialist at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club-Flatbush Unit for 30 years. There she was awarded the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club-Flatbush Unit National Service Award. Working directly with the youth of the inner-city, she established an adept program of artists, dancers, poets, models and fashion designers. Sapp-Jimenez encouraged youth to also give reason to uplift local communities. Sapp-Jimenez also was awarded the City Council Citation 40th District Award, as well as the 67th Precinct Community Outreach Award. Sapp-Jimenez also taught at the Community College at Kingsborough during their research foundations art program. Over the years Sapp-Jimenez has participated in numerous local community works and has her art in gallery exhibitions and showcases throughout the five boroughs. Community.

 

The commonality that we all face, acts as a personal outlet for Sapp-Jimenez,' that she hopes can inspire others to seek their own conversations, and their own growth. She is a self-taught, mixed media artist whose art moves where the inspiration takes her, from canvas to clothing and jewelry. Sapp-Jimenez is a highly skilled painter, inspired by Black Culture and the beauty of nature. She also designs her own clothing from upcycled materials and also creates housewares like coasters and magnets. When you visit her showcases, you will be drawn to whatever you need to uplift you. It is part of her magic.

​

Sapp-Jimenez art aims to evoke conversation while you experience her work. It is both an emotional and immersive experience. Sapp-Jimenez' love of flowers and patterns consistently represent a growth and a change in real world experience. She encompasses both spiritual and cultural aspects that are grounded in her roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and mentor. Husband and best friend Jeffery, and her two adult sons Gary and Jason are the roots often seen painted into her trees and flowers. They give her strength and stability, as well as unwavering support and endless joy. Family.