They’re innovating the field of cultural entrepreneurship.
When Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen met as teenagers on their first day at the Rhode Island School of Design, they likely did not imagine a professional partnership of 19 years and counting. Force Villareal was studying painting and art history, while Remen pursued architecture. Now, they’ve cemented themselves as multi-faceted cultural entrepreneurs who create connections between corporations and artists with their business, Culture Corps.
“Cultural entrepreneurship is a really holistic way of looking at art. It’s engaging in partnerships and expanding an audience,” explains Force Villareal. Essentially, the duo works to bring the talent of great artists into businesses—and the people that experience those businesses—and support both sides. “Interacting with creativity at the highest level, in our daily environment, is uplifting, energizing, inspiring, and benefits everyone,” says Remen.
“With each project comes a puzzle to solve: Who are the best artists to match this particular venue and audience?” says Force Villareal. “We set out to make that happen.”
Most recently, they helmed HYxOffTheWall, which showcases large-scale pieces by 13 significant artists in Hudson Yards’s vertical shopping experience. “The space is so monumental, so we wanted to think about human scale for this project and about artists that would love to have a platform of 60,000 people coming through daily to experience their art,” she explains. “This project was all about creating highly visible, compelling art that people could complete by being viewers and participants.”
Among the artists was Donald Robertson, who created a piece called Love Thy Selfie. “It’s the most overt ‘take a picture with it’ piece,” says Force Villareal. Of Deborah Kass’s OY/YO, she says: “Everyone loves to consider whether they are a ‘yo’ or an ‘oy.’”
Below, Furthermore talked to Force Villareal and Remen about their professional paths, the process of building projects, and their health and wellness routines.
This interview has been edited for publication. Portraits by Lucas Michael.