FOUNDER's NOTE
At the end of 2022, after spending more than 20 years living in the United States and elsewhere around the world, I decided to return to Mexico, the country of my birth. Coming back here has made me reflect on my life experiences, and reminded me of the creative and talented individuals with whom I have had the opportunity to know and collaborate with. Specifically, I have been thinking about my work in practice and collaborations that have influenced my values and creative work ethic. Through this work, I’ve had a window to appreciate more the world, what grabs different individuals’ attention, and what can motivate a creative and collaborative action. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I find myself in SMA and so often reflecting on those past experiences and moments of my life. The vibrancy of this town, its history and its people, produce an energy that must be felt. This visceral creative energy is what I want to tap into, to cultivate, and to share with you through the MADE Creatives in Residence program. As anyone who dedicates their life to the creative act, I know you seek to push your work, to ever grow as a creator. And so, I humbly invite you to spend a month in SMA dedicated to exploring into that uniquely creative energy as a Creative in Residence.
Yesica Guerra

Yesica Guerra, brings over 18 years of expertise in the fields of design, art, public art, place making and cultural programming to the MADE Creatives in Residence in San Miguel de Allende. Yesica has worked throughout her professional career in public institutions including the City of Providence, RI and the City of Pittsburgh, PA, as well as UNESCO’s Paris headquarters. Through her work in nonprofit organizations such The Avenue Concept, ¡CityArts! For Youth and Down City Design in Providence, RI, Neighborhood for Affordable Housing in Boston, MA, she has created, and cultivated connections with youth and underserved communities and with the larger public through arts, design and educational programming. She has taught and worked at educational institutions such Boston College, MIT Media Lab and UCSD. As the director of Cronicas de Heroes/Hero Reports from the Center of Civic Media, MIT Media Lab, Yesica has been invited to be part of conferences such TED Active, SXSW, Knight Foundation in Cambridge, MA, TechCamp Mexico, DF, Digital Communities in Colombia among others. Her work from MIT’s Media Lab leading Cronicas de Heroes/Hero Reports, received recognition across multiple media outlets such as CNN, BBC, Huffington Post, PBS, and was granted an Honorary Mention from PRIX Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria, in the category of Digital Communities. In 2013 she received the prestigious Lawrence B. Anderson Award from the Faculty of Architecture from MIT. She has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Woodbury University, a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an International Master Artist Educator degree from the University of the Arts in the Netherlands. Yesica has lived in multiple countries and traveled the world extensively which have helped her to grow, adapt, and understand different contexts and complex systems.