ABOUT

Tyler Andrew Lackey, MFA (Ty)

Interdisciplinary Artist | Composer | Researcher | Staff Senate Chair

Tyler Andrew Lackey, MFA, is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher whose practice is defined by the intersection of institutional integrity, media history, and sonic liberation. Born and raised in Tennessee, Lackey’s early development was rooted in the solitary company of books and private creative environments where he "imagined things out." This foundation in internal inquiry eventually evolved into a public-facing career in communications and broadcast media. Before entering the academy, Lackey worked as a Public Relations Specialist, managing portfolios across programmatic advertising, health and nutrition, non-profits, and political campaigns. His experience as a radio host further deepened his engagement with auditory storytelling and the social architecture of sound.

This trajectory from private imagination to public discourse is the foundation of his artistic practice, AYEYOTY. The name functions as a reclaimed history and a linguistic bridge, originating from the childhood greeting, “Aye, yo; Ty!” that anchored him from internal spaces into the social present. In a contemporary context, the moniker carries a specific etymological depth. Utilizing Swahili-informed shorthand, the vowel "a" serves as a functional article, "yeyo" means Joy, and "Ty" acts as shorthand for "Asanteni" (the plural "thank y'all"). Combined, AYEYOTY translates to a meta-expression of gratitude: "Joy thanks you."

Currently, Lackey serves as the Chair of University Relations for the Staff Senate and an Academic Advisor for Biology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). In these roles, he advocates for institutional alignment that recognizes integrity as a formal obligation for administrators, faculty, and staff alike. His pedagogy in the UTC Department of Art, specifically the course ART 4900R: Sound and Noise as Social Practice, directs students to use field recording and harmony to investigate their capacity for impactful civic engagement and self-actualization.

Lackey’s methodology, Black Sonic Alchemy, transmutes his background in media and social theory into sound. Drawing from the Afro-pessimistic dispositions of Derrick Bell and the sharp ironies of the American academy, he utilizes abstraction and improvisation as deliberate acts of resistance. Whether performing as his DJ persona, Social Proactive, or conducting relational workshops, Lackey explores sound as a vessel for liberation, seeking to acknowledge and eventually transcend the "architecture of one’s own containment."

Research & Evidence

• Lackey, T. A. (2022). The transformational and charismatic leadership of Malcolm X [Paper presentation]. George Washington University Research Showcase. (Winner in Organizational Sciences and Economics).

• Lackey, T. A. (2023). Black sonic alchemy [Published work]. Library of Congress.

• Bell, D. A. (1992). Faces at the bottom of the well: The permanence of racism. Basic Books. (Conceptual framework for Lackey's inquiry into societal and institutional constraints).

Professional Affiliations & Education

• M.F.A. in Social Practice, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, George Washington University.

• B.A. in Organizational Sciences, George Washington University.

• Voting Member: The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs).

• Alumnus: U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: OneBeat 13.

• Member: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Society of American Musicologists (SAM); NACADA.