Joana Vasconcelos (b. 1971, Paris) is an artist committed to society, whose works invite reflection on current issues in a global context.

In 2012 she set up the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation, whose mission is to manage her work and “support those who have chosen to pursue a career in art” while promoting art and cultural education. The foundation sells limited-edition and uses the funds to carry out initiatives in the cities where Vasconcelos shows her work.

These initiatives include art scholarships for Portuguese students or internships in Vasconcelos’s studio in Lisbon. In addition, Vasconcelos designed an art project for French schoolchildren in Nice—a portable educational tool to use in the classroom that consists of a case or trunk containing colorful art materials and catalogues. The project’s goal was to introduce contemporary art in primary schools. Also in Nice, Vasconcelos is currently part of a group project to decorate the new metro line stations. Her station is Ferber, right on the waterfront promenade.

Joana Vasconcelos is committed to social issues like gender equality, universal education, accessibility, children’s rights, and the fight against AIDS, ALS, or cancer. She gets involved herself, taking part in charity auctions and exhibitions like the event organized by the Portuguese Association for the Development of Children on World Mental Health Day, or offers her exclusive designs to campaigns like Art Wars USA, asking artists to customize Star Wars helmets which were then put up for auction in support of missing persons.