Craig

linocut print

8 x 6 inches

Courtesy of ACA Galleries

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Kandy Lopez is a multidisciplinary artist exploring cultural identity, representation, and power through fiber art, portraiture, painting, and mixed media. As an Afro-Caribbean visual artist, Kandy is eager to be challenged materialistically and metaphorically when representing marginalized individuals that inspire and move her. Her works are created out of the necessity to learn something new about her people and culture. Kandy's full-scale portraits, "painted with fiber," start as drawings like this one. She created new work during a 2024 residency at VisArts in preparation for the collaborative exhibition with Crafting the Future, The Shape of Water. Kandy and her work have been profiled in Vogue (her portrait of Justice Dwight was included in the article), American Craft, Hyperallergic, Colassal, and Ebony.

Kandy holds a BFA in Painting and a BS in Marketing/Management from the University of South Florida and earned her MFA in Painting from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. Her background in both fine arts and business informs her meticulous material investigations and strategic engagement with art institutions. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Arts at Nova Southeastern University, where she integrates critical theory with hands-on material practice.