Artist working at the intersection of ecology, social practice, and decolonial environmental systems.

Juan William Chávez (he/him), a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, is an interdisciplinary artist of Indigenous Latinx and Irish descent. His work is situated at the intersection of ecology, social practices, and decolonial approaches to environmental systems. Chávez's creative practice includes social practice art, public art, installation, sound, agriculture, and zines. He focuses on long-term projects that explore land stewardship, food sovereignty, environmental justice, and the interconnectedness of human and non-human communities.

Rooted in his Peruvian heritage and influenced by the urban and natural landscapes of St. Louis, Chávez employs Andean philosophy to view ecology as a living system that encourages creative reciprocity. His work integrates urban agriculture, pollinator stewardship, and collaborative cultural production to create spaces where ecological systems and community life mutually sustain each other. Through public art, performances, and Eco/Art workshops, he frames art as a form of ecological infrastructure and collective care.

Current projects include Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge for 2024–2026, Art Pollination, and the Native Bee Sanctuary—a chemical-free teaching garden that supports native pollinators through environmental stewardship, public native planting, and workshops during the 2023 Counterpublic Triennial.

Chávez's work has been exhibited at El Museo del Barrio as part of "Estamos Bien: La Trienal 20/21," 601 Artspace in New York, and Artpace in San Antonio. His work has also been featured in The New York Times and Zócalo Public Square. Additionally, he is included in the Routledge publication "Artists and the Practice of Agriculture: Politics and Aesthetics of Food Sovereignty in Art since 1960."

He is the founder of Northside Workshop, a nonprofit organization dedicated to art and ecology. He serves as a Senior Lecturer and Wallace Herndon Smith Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.