artist statement
about
Natalia Sanchez (B. 2002) creates woven textiles that translate human experience and culture through material research and color exploration. Her work bridges craft traditions with contemporary design, honoring the cultural knowledge embedded in heritage making practices.
Raised between the United States and Mexico, Natalia earned her BFA in Fibers from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. Her education has been shaped by both formal design training and immersive learning with artisan communities — completing a textile residency at TEXERE in Oaxaca and working alongside Angela Damman as a studio coordinator, collaborating directly with Maya craftspeople in Yucatán. She actively participates in craft knowledge exchange between Mexico and the United States through teaching workshops and her recent involvement with the Southern California Weavers' Guild.
Natalia has been awarded the Wingate-Lamar Fellowship from the Center for Craft in 2024 and has received recognition from the Surface Design Association, Cotton Incorporated, and the International Design Awards. Now based in Los Angeles, she works as a Textile Specialist at the Pacific Design Center while evolving her studio practice through woven works that engage cultural contexts, materials, and color.
I've been a maker for as long as I can remember. Growing up in South Florida as a first-generation Mexican-American, art became the way I processed the world — a second language shaped by observation, analyzation, and creation. Seasons spent visiting family in Mexico immersed me in color, texture, and artisan communities, grounding my belief that craft can be both functional and culturally embedded in daily life.
Now an emerging textile artist and designer driven by a desire to create connections — developing work that tells stories through color and material exploration. My studio practice is rooted in the tactile experience of textiles and culture, combining skills like natural dyeing and weaving with research and critical thinking - exploring the relationships between these themes as a whole.
Textiles serve not only as art objects with cultural significance, but as functional pieces woven into daily life. Working at the intersection of art and the global design industry has reinforced my commitment to my craft - with a solid belief that it can act as an educational tool to counter capitalist norms in our culture, centered around skill in action and embracing integrity.
awards + recognition
please email natasanstudio@gmail.com for any inquiries