ABOUT
Sandra C. Fernandez is an Ecuadorian American artist whose work embodies her multicultural heritage and personal journey, weaving together stories of identity, migration, and resilience. Her multidisciplinary practice spans printmaking, photography, artist’s books, soft sculpture, fiber art, assemblages, and installations. By skillfully combining a wide range of materials—paper, thread, metal, wood, organic elements, and small found objects—she creates pieces that explore themes of displacement, belonging, and hope. Born in New York, raised in Ecuador, and now based in the United States, Sandra channels her rich experiences into evocative works that reflect both the universal and deeply personal aspects of navigating cultural intersections.
Fernández was born in New York, raised in Quito, Ecuador, and later returned to the United States as a young adult. She earned an M.A. and an M.F.A. in Printmaking, Photography, and Book Arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
She has taught for over 20 years at institutions including Hunter College (NY), Monmouth University (NJ), the University of Texas at Austin, SUNY Buffalo, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Illinois State University. She has also held leadership roles as director of the Printmaking Center of New Jersey, the Guest Artist in Printmaking Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and Wesleyan University’s Gallery in Bloomington, Illinois. She is currently the director of Consejo Gráfico Nacional and the founder of Sandra Fernández Art, where she maintains an active studio practice.
Her work has been widely exhibited and collected in the U.S. and internationally. She has had over 25 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 200 group exhibitions across the United States, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Canada, Palestine, Spain, Italy, Japan, the UAE, Egypt, and Indonesia. Her work is in major public collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Met, the Library of Congress, the Blanton Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the San Antonio Museum of Art. Other collections include the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), the Martin Museum of Art, the Art Museum of South Texas, the Kohler Art Library, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. She is also represented in private collections, including the Gilberto & Dolores Cárdenas Collection of Latino Art and the Ricardo and Harriet Romo Collection of Chicana/o and US Latino Art in San Antonio, TX.