Suzanne Jordan Villella

Suzanne earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art degree at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. While attending the University of Arizona, Suzanne’s major course of study was art history, in addition to a minor in studio art. She had the opportunity to work at the University of Arizona Museum of Art and intern for the prestigious Center for Creative Photography on the University of Arizona campus. After graduation, Suzanne was an intern in the legal department of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Her interest in law led to earning a Paralegal Certificate and working as a paralegal. Throughout her career as a paralegal, she continued to draw and paint. Her first gallery show was on February 2, 1997, at De Grazia’s Little Gallery, on the grounds of the renowned De Grazia’s Gallery in the Sun, Tucson, Arizona. Since that show, Suzanne has exhibited in numerous shows and galleries around the United States and Germany. Suzanne married Matt, an Air Force fighter pilot. They have three children, Catherine, Anthony, and Olivia. Suzanne continued to paint and volunteer in the art departments at her children’s schools, and as an art instructor. It is through teaching and her interactions with her students that she became inspired to renew her belief in her own painting and mixed media works. Now settled in Tucson, Suzanne’s artwork is displayed at the Southern Arizona Arts Guild Gallery and the Tucson Gallery, downtown Tucson. Suzanne served from 2022 to 2024 as the president of the Southern Arizona Arts Guild and is passionate about the growth and impact of the arts in Southern Arizona.