Sandra Williams

Background

About Sandra Williams

Sandra is an interdisciplinary artist who works across a broad range of practices, including cut paper, painting, murals, community art, and social practice. Her work has been exhibited at SOFA New York, Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in St. Louis, Missouri, The Studios of Key West in Key West, Florida, and National Amazon University in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. Her work is included in the Howard Tullman Collection, The Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon, and several private collections. She was awarded artist residencies at The Studios of Key West, Florida, Rogers Art Loft in Las Vegas, Nevada; Arquetopia, Puebla, Mexico; the Contemporary Crafts Museum in Portland, Oregon and with the Amazon Conservation Association in Madre de Dios, Peru. Recognition for her work includes a Mayor’s Art Award, thirteen Parents Association Awards for Contributions to Students, a Hixson-Lied Curriculum Development Award, and two Hixson-Lied Awards for Outreach, Engagement, and Service. She is a CoPI on the transdisciplinary Grand Challenge grant RISE With Insects. Sandra is the Visual Arts Chair for the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association. Her most recent work contains variations on the theme of ecotone, the area where two communities meet and integrate. Traditionally, the term refers to ecological communities, such as the zone where the plains and desert meet the rainforest and the biodiversity that occurs there. Yet it can also refer to the zone where “nature” and “culture” intersect—where the city meets the preexisting natural environment and the tension resulting from this intersection. It may also refer to a metaphorical overlapping of narrative and place. Additional work includes social practice projects that range from working with incarcerated populations on the improvement and development of soft goals to large-scale events engaging 800-1500 community members in activities that mainstream marginalized people.