Hyla Willis is a founding member of

subRosa subRosa is a cyberfeminist organization led by artists Faith Wilding and Hyla Willis. In the late 1990s at Carnegie Mellon University, Faith Wilding organized an on-campus reading group that discussed digital culture and technologies, feminisms, ...

, a feminist art collective.

Life and career

She was born in

Yuba City, California Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical ...

, and lived in Northern California and Seattle, Washington for many years. Willis has exhibited, performed and held workshops in Europe, Asia, Australia and throughout North America. She received her MFA from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts and teaches media arts at

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

. In her work and teaching, Willis uses the cultural and political economies of graphic design, creative experimentation, and acoustic ecology. Along with

Faith Wilding Faith Wilding (born 1943) is a Paraguayan American multidisciplinary artist - which includes but is not limited to: watercolor, performance art, writing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, and digital art. She is also an author, educator, and activ ...

, Willis has been a core member of subRosa. While subRosa started with a feminist critique of art and marketing it's performative and transdisciplinary practice has expanded to include biotech and bio-political feminist issues. In 2002, they won a Creative Capital grant in Emerging Fields. In 2014, she was named Artist of the Year by

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (PCA) is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It also provides services and resources for artists th ...

. Hyla Willis, M.F.A., Professor of Media Arts
Retrieved on 21 Mar 2018 Her show, titled “America’s Least Livable City and Other Works" referenced the famous ranking in 1985 when Pittsburgh was named America’s most livable city by Rand McNally, while her hometown, Yuba City, Calif., was ranked least livable city on the same list. In 2014, she was a participant in ''Sites of Passage: Borders, Walls & Citizenship'', a cultural exchange between artists from Israel, Palestine and the U.S.

Awards

Hyla Willis has been the recipient of fellowships and awards from: *

Pennsylvania Council on the Arts The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is an agency serving the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Its mission is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. This mission is paired wit ...

* Creative Capital * MacDowell Colony Fellowship * Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

Selected performances and exhibitions

2014 * Pittsburgh Artist of the Year solo exhibition, ''America's Least Livable City, and other works'',

2013 * ''A Body of Work: Landscaping Social Practice'', Bruce Gallery, Edinboro University, PA * ''Collective Action Archive'', The Passage Gallery, SUNY Purchase, NY * ''Working Alternatives: Breaking Bread, Art Broadcasting, and Collective Action'',

Franklin Street Works Franklin Street Works was a contemporary art exhibition space and café located in Stamford, Connecticut. They sponsor 3 to 4 themed exhibitions a year. ''Connecticut Magazine'' described the space as containing “thought provoking... politically ...

, Stamford, CT * ''Healthy Artists Movie Poster Exhibition'', Modern Formations Gallery,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, PA 2012 * ''Selected What’s Up Pittsburgh?'', Clarion University Gallery,

Clarion, PA Clarion is a borough in and the county seat of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north-northeast of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. Clarion was settled in 1839 and incorporated in 1841. In the past, the sur ...

2011 * ''Pittsburgh Biennial'', The Miller Gallery,

, PA * ''Sites of Passage'', The Mattress Factory Museum,

, PA HYLA WILLIS
Retrieved on 21 Mar 2018

References

External links

Hyla Willis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Hyla Living people Carnegie Mellon University alumni Cornish College of the Arts alumni Artists from Pittsburgh People from Yuba City, California Robert Morris University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)