Zimbabwe Artists Project

Theresa Burks

Joining ZAP as Executive Director in summer of 2010, Theresa is thrilled and honored to continue the work that Dick Adams (Founding Director) started and nurtured, along with the support of Heather, ZAP’s Board of Directors and ZAP’s many loyal supporters and customers.  Her love of Africa’s people and cultures began with her first visit to the continent in 1985 and grew during her time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia. Before coming to ZAP she earned her Master in Social Work and most recently worked at the World Affairs Council of Oregon for seven years. Currently she serves as co-chair of the Portland Area Global AIDS Coalition and board member of Jubilee Oregon, a non-profit that advocates for the cancellation of debts to alleviate extreme poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Theresa looks forward to working with the artists and enhancing the knowledge, appreciation and celebration of the people, culture and art of Zimbabwe.

Heather MacKenzie

Heather joined Zimbabwe Artists Project as the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator in the spring of 2008 after her involvement as a volunteer with ZAP. She graduated in 2002 from Brown University with a degree in Visual Arts, focused on textiles. Since graduating, she has spent significant time studying textiles in South America, in India, and in Ghana, West Africa. In the summer of 2009, she traveled with ZAP to Weya, Zimbabwe and worked for four weeks with a group of newer artists to improve their art. In Portland, Heather is an active volunteer with the Portland Fruit Tree Project and Project Grow. She spends much of her spare time in her studio making things.

Heather Hodsdon

 Heather Hodsdon is an Arts and Events consultant in Seattle. She spent her high school years in Harare and has maintained a deep interest in the country and people. She connected with Dick Adams and ZAP while she was installing art shows at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle and she continues to staff ZAP shows & sales in the Seattle area.

 Joy Leising-Kelley

Joy was a student at Lewis and Clark College and traveled to Weya in 1999, where she lived with many of the artists and families. Since then she has chose to continue her connection and commitment to the women & families of Weya by serving on the ZAP board. Joy is also the co-owner of The 100th Monkey Studio in Portland.

Mary Lind

Mary came to know many of the Weya artists in the late ’90s, when she co-led a study-abroad program in Zimbabwe with Dick Adams through Lewis & Clark College. She has been a board member and enthusiast of ZAP since 2003. Mary currently serves as program coordinator for the City of Beaverton’s Dispute Resolution Center. She facilitates dialogue groups among local African people who come from conflict zones, and she teaches global inequalities at Portland State University.

Isabelle Soule

Isabelle has been a ZAP board member for the past four years. Her background includes teaching at OHSU with an expertise in Global Health. She is an active community member and practicing artist.

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David Westbrook

David lived in East Africa in Uganda in the late 1990′s and more recently spent time in Nigeria while working on his master’s degree in Conflict Resolution. He is the owner of Dew Point Productions, Inc. and has been volunteering Website development for ZAP for a number of years. He Joined the ZAP Board in 2010.

Andrea Henning

Andrea is a freelance graphic designer and artist with a strong passion for giving back. She first became involved with ZAP after a 4 month trip to South Africa, where she learned about African cultures and became fascinated with finding ways to help the less fortunate.

 ZAP Super Volunteers!

Sigrid Boyer

Sigrid first became involved with the project in summer of 2007 as a Hands On Greater Portland volunteer while completing her Bachelor of Apparel Design at the Art Institute of Portland. Drawn to ZAP by its social and artistic impact, she is inspired by the artists and their work and hopes to combine art and design with non-profit work in an effort to empower both local and global communities.

Bob Hazen

Bob Hazen served as Board Chair of ZAP from its founding until 2011. He continues to provide invaluable insight in an advisory capacity.
Bob started and directs the Executive Transition Services program for TACS and is a long-time consultant in the nonprofit world. His background includes a degree in international nonprofit management, several entrepreneurial start-ups, and a lot of time working overseas.