Yvonne Force Villareal is a public arts leader and cultural entrepreneur based in New York City.  

Ms. Force has launched three significant businesses over the span of her public career in the arts which began in 1995 with Yvonne Force Inc., an art advisory firm specializing in building and managing private collections and foundations. As President of YFI, Ms. Force also supported contemporary artists through its own collections and lending program. In 1998, she produced her first major artist project with Vanessa Beecroft,  the performance titled “SHOW” at the Guggenheim Museum was on the cover of Artforum and became the catalyst for a future in public art offerings. 

In 2000, Ms. Force co-founded Art Production Fund (APF), a non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing significant public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Together with co-founder Doreen Remen, the leaders grew APF into an ambitious national program of outdoor installations that include: Ugo Rondinone’s "Seven Magic Mountains" in Las Vegas, NV; Elmgreen & Dragset’s "Prada Marfa" in Marfa, Texas.

Expanding on their practice, in 2014 the duo established Culture Corps, a creative consultancy firm offering art advisory, artist brand collaboration, and cultural programming services with a focus in the hospitality, retail, entertainment, corporate and real estate industries. In working with private sector clientele and important artists to curate custom programs, their consistent goal is (and always has been) to create opportunities for artistic expression and viewer participation.

Force has curated exhibitions and overseen residency programs throughout her career. 2021 marks the first edition of "The Brite Force Residency” in Marfa, Texas. Several artists will be invited annually to work within their historic property that she and her husband (Leo Villareal) own and has been in his family for five generations. Each residency will culminate with an exhibition in “The Brite Home”. 

Ms. Force graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1988 with a degree in Fine Arts and is finishing a Masters degree at New York University. She serves on the Boards of Art Production Fund, White Columns and RISD’s President’s Alumni Advisory Council. Ms. Force has spoken on panels at many institutions and media outlets including Frieze Art Fair, Design Miami, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Yale University, School of Visual Arts (SVA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Today Show, and Bravo’s Work of Art, among others. Publication features include: Vogue, New York Magazine, W, Cultured, Avenue and Manhattan Magazine.