Cat Peña (BFA/MFA) is a practicing artist and art consultant living in Memphis Tennessee. Her artwork seeks to incite social change in hopes of bringing self awareness to the viewer and to our surrounding social structures. The essence of her work is situated in art happenings, installations, collaborations, performances, and social sculptures that intersect art, the everyday, and public space. Peña’s creative process includes concept driven research, collaboration and creative problem solving to set the perimeters of what is possible prior to determining how a piece may look or function. In the past five years her artwork has largely extended outside of gallery and museum settings in pieces that range from ephemeral, participatory, large temporary public artworks to creating platforms that explore collaborative practices within new genre public art. 

Recent subjects of interest are; tactics of play, generosity and reciprocity, sustainability, human’s relationship to the natural world, social justice, and public engagement.  

Peña’s artwork has been exhibited in Seattle, New York, Chicago, Memphis, St. Louis, Boulder, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Milwaukee. In addition, she has received public art commissions from the Downtown Memphis Commission, UrbanArt Commission, The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Outside of her studio practice Peña is dedicated to exploring Public Art and Social Practices not only through educational settings but also in collaborations with nonprofits and community organizations. Currently, Peña is the Public Art Manager for the City of Germantown and co-founder of Wonder/ Cowork/ Create.