Bio

Victoria Ferrell-Ortiz was born in Dallas, Texas. She lived in West Dallas until the age of five, and then moved to Oak Cliff. She is a multiethnic person, which informs the work she does from a place of intersectionality.  Victoria’s Mother was an educator within DISD, and impressed upon her the importance of being a lifelong learner at a young age. She attended the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet School at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center and graduated in 2012. In 2016, she received her Bachelors of Arts in Integrative Studies from the University of North Texas in Denton, with concentrations in international studies, sociology, and public administration and community service. She minored in social sciences and received her certification in Mexican American and LatinX Studies. 

Victoria is a Barrio Historian of the Cemento Grande barrio of West Dallas, and Oak Cliff. In 2021 she served as a Co-Chair of the “Nuestro Oak Cliff '' Exhibit and producer of the “Nuestro Oak Cliff '' Documentary. She served as an at-large commissioner on the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission for the City of Dallas. Victoria Co-Founded RAYO Planning, an urban planning nonprofit that centers people's lived experiences. She is an alum of the Dallas Truth Racial Healing and Transformation, Racial Equity Now Cohort and was recently identified as one of six to watch on the social justice front by the Dallas Morning News alongside, Stephanie Drenka, Jerry Hawkins and Ramiro Luna. 

Artist Statement

My work centers around the preservation of barrio history in the City of Dallas, cultural art and time travel. It examines how gentrification affects the experience of BIPOC people while prioritizing the importance of our history being told by us. I aim to shine light, to elevate and pass the mic to others to commemorate their lived experiences by documenting the oral histories of everyday barrio folk via multiple mediums. I want our city to hear and see the stories that are under-represented or hidden because of White supremacy. Topics of my work include: healing, cultural relics, mapping, archival work, displacement, racism, intersectionality, class, migration, environmental racism/pollution and gender. 

For more information on collaborations, pricing, inquiries and availability of specific artworks, please email victoriaferrellortiz@gmail.com.