Sandra C. Fernández
American, b. 1964; MFA 1995
Lives and works in Parlin, New Jersey
Handmade paper and wood veneer with cyanotype, stitching and ink
Edition of 1
In this work, Fernández experiments with the form of the book, creating a doll-like structure to tell the story of her fearful journey from Quito, Ecuador, where she spent her formative years, to the United States. The bodyless container, with a photograph of the artist taken on the day she left Ecuador, represents the emotional or spiritual aspects of this early childhood event. To Fernández, the dress shape is also a metaphor for woman, motherhood, and mother earth. The text written on the blouse and hem of the skirt reads: “When I was three years old I came back to the United States to meet my dad for the first time. I can’t remember events during that trip. All I remember is crying and crying, thinking I would never see my “mamita Matilde” anymore–I guess this is why until I was six years old, whenever I felt scared, I always hid under my mother’s long skirt.”
Though Sandra Fernández was born in Queens, New York, she grew up in Quito, Ecuador, where the Mestizo culture, rich with woodworking, sewing, and weaving craftsmanship, inspired her. Her family was politically active and committed to social justice efforts, and she became involved with a political group in her early 20s. During this time of unrest, she began to feel unsafe and ultimately decided to leave for the United States in 1987. Eventually, she found her way to Madison, earning a BS in art in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin, followed by an MA in photography and printmaking in 1993 and an MFA in printmaking and book arts in 1995. In a nod to her past, she incorporates sewing and photography into her books, which challenge the notion of what a book is. Even in her books that approach sculpture, she infuses handmade paper with a narrative. While her early work focused on loss and abandonment, she has returned to social and political commentary in her prints, mixed media pieces, and installations. For more than 20 years, Fernández has taught courses in photography, printmaking, and book arts at universities in Illinois, Texas, New York, and New Jersey. She is the director/owner of sfernandez Press & Taller and is the executive director of Consejo Gráfico Nacional, an independent coalition of print workshops advancing the Latino printmaking tradition in the United States.
