Yancy Villa

Yancy Villa is a socially engaged artist and civic design consultant who seeks to create awareness, engage in conversation, and encourage social justice, urban planning, equity, public policy, and community prosperity.

Villa is a 2020-2022 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. In 2019, she was recognized as one of “40 Change Makers Who Have Made Memphis Better in the Past 40 Years.” Internationally, the Mexican Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture recognized her as an artist working on binational art initiatives for public diplomacy. 

Her work ranges from civic design and public art to urban planning and activism. Her form provides a platform that encourages collaboration and dialogue across sectors to activate public spaces, inform and guide city plans and architectural design of neighborhood developments, and city investment in community spaces through genuine resident engagement.

Villa's work is an intertwining web of art and life. Her life experiences have influenced how she defines, makes, and experiences art. Experiences such as being born and raised in Mexico, living in Mozambique, and traveling to many countries have provided her with a cross-cultural perspective and an awareness of her place as a global citizen. A Mexican-American, Yancy now calls the U.S., her own.

Notable Works

Intertwining

The most recent integration of art into the built environment. It is a suspended sculpture that spans 200 ft and meanders across a 40 ft wide area; an abstract representation of a tapestry in the making—inspired by Memphis’s multicultural roots and rich history while addressing systemic racism and other social issues weave Memphis’ social fabric. Villa and brg3s architects were selected among 152 national teams to create artwork for Memphis International Airport.

Go Explore Memphis Soul (GEMS)

Liaising with diverse communities, officials, and planners, she engaged residents in their neighborhood planning and economic development.

Gaisman Community Center and Park

The Gaisman Community Center and Park engagement and identity-design project served a neighborhood predominantly formed by Latinx and Arab-Americans.

Memphis Welcoming Plan for New and Aspiring Americans

As the artist and project manager, she collaborated with New American Economic, Welcoming America, and Latino Memphis to create a report with recommendations for city implementation.

Barrier-Free

Villa is the creator of Barrier Free, a traveling, interactive art installation that asks viewers to reflect on the human-made and systemic barriers that divide us, from unjust immigration laws to mass incarceration. The installation has been exhibited around the U.S. in Washington, D.C, Houston, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Baltimore, MD, and in various cities in Tennessee including Memphis, Murfreesboro, and Nashville.

Notable Grants & Commissions

• Smithsonian Latino Center
• National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures
• Tennessee Arts Commission
• ArtsMemphis
• UnidosUS
• Funders’ Network
• UrbanArt Commission
• City of Memphis

... among others.