KFAC hosts Arturo Sandoval quilt exhibition
An innovative Kentucky artist in the media of quilts will display his work at the Kentucky Folk Art Center (KFAC) next month.
KFAC will host “Radiance, Art Quilts by Arturo Alonzo Sandoval” beginning Monday, Feb. 10. The exhibit runs through Friday, April 18, and is open to the public. There will be an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Arturo Alonzo Sandoval took his first college weaving course in 1965 as a California State College-Los Angeles graduate student before shipping off to Vietnam with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He earned a master’s degree in sculptural fiber art in 1969 and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1971.
Sandoval has worked as an adjudicator, lecturer, exhibition curator, set designer, workshop facilitator, nonprofit board member, art mentor, and advisor. He pursues the forefront in art quilts, transforming linear industrial materials inspired by textile and computer symbols using pattern, text, machine sewing, and interlacing to create unique graphic and colorful art expressions.
He has exhibited his fiber art regionally and nationally and was accepted by jury into international exhibitions like the Biennial of Tapestry in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Textile Triennial in Lodz, Poland, and the International Textile Competition in Kyoto, Japan.
A professor emeritus with a named University of Kentucky (UK) Endowed Professorship, Sandoval retired in 2017 after 44 years of teaching at UK. Sandoval received two NEA Fellowships and three Al Smith Kentucky Arts Council grants. He was voted a FELLOW of the American Craft Council, NYC (2007), and received a Lifetime Achievement STAR from the Downtown Lexington Corporation. Sandoval has previously created two Horsemania horses. His mantra is, “Work produces results.”
KFAC Administrative Coordinator Tammy Stone knows Arturo from his time on the KFAC Board of Directors. She said this exhibit will be a wonderful opportunity to introduce more people to his work.
“Arturo is a fiber artist known locally and internationally. He is one of Kentucky’s most original, influential, and significant artists,” Stone said. “I think showcasing his work at the Kentucky Folk Art Center will be a great opportunity for the public to stop by and view his interpretation of these unique art quilts.”
Located in the historic Union Grocery, MSU’s Kentucky Folk Art Center houses a permanent collection of nearly 1,400 pieces of self-taught art. Dozens of works from the collection are displayed on a rotating basis in the center's first-floor gallery. The center presents several changing exhibits in the second-floor gallery each year, featuring folk art, fine art, textiles, photography, and historical content. KFAC also offers a gift shop with original folk art, crafts, jewelry, books, toys, housewares, and more.
For more information about the KFAC, visit www.kyfolkart.org, contact Stone at 606-783-2204 or email t.stone@moreheadstate.edu.
