John Yancey

John Yancey received his BFA degree in painting and drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1980. Upon graduation, he pursued an independent art career for eleven years before receiving the prestigious Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship which enabled him to enroll in graduate school at Georgia Southern University where he received his MFA in 1993. Professor Yancey’s work focuses in three main areas: paintings and drawings; community-based mural painting; and ceramic tile mosaic public art works. He directed his first community-based mural in 1976 and has completed numerous public art projects and commissions since that time. His murals are extensively featured in Walls of Heritage, Walls of Pride: African American Murals 1850-1995, Robin Dunitz and James Prighoff; Urban Art: Chicago; Olivia Gude and Jeff Huebner. His most recent projects include permanent public artworks for the Austin Convention Center, The Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center of San Antonio, and the monumental history and culture art wall, “Rhapsody” that occupies the Charles Urdy Plaza at 11th and Waller Streets as part of the restoration and revitalization of this historic street on Austin's East Side. In addition to his public art projects, Yancey continues to exhibit his paintings and drawings in gallery and museum venues. Professor Yancey has also lectured extensively on various aspects of African American art history at the Art Institute of Chicago, The Terra Museum of American Art in Chicago, The Dallas Art Museum, Waterloo Museum of Art, Austin Museum of Art, and numerous other museum venues.