Sylvia Fragoso

Sylvia Fragoso (b. 1962) is a Bay Area artist who has been working at NIAD Art Center since 1984. For Fragoso, making art is deeply tied to family, community, and gift giving. Many of her ceramic sculptures, drawings, and embroideries are homages to domestic and spiritual spaces, modeled after her grandmother's home or her family's church. A solo show of her work was presented by Good Luck Gallery, LA in 2017, and she has participated in group exhibitions throughout the west coast, including:  Adams and Ollman in Portland, OR; the Oakland Museum of California; MarinMOCA; Tierra Del Sol in LA; and Left Field Gallery in Los Osos. Fragoso's work is in the permanent collection of the OMCA. 

Most of Sylvia Fragoso's work is made in dedication to a family member, a NIAD studio facilitator or rooted in her Catholic faith. Her sisters, nieces, nephews, churches and angels are the consistent subjects for her works. Her ceramic sculptures are often homages to domestic and spiritual spaces; she frequently renders her grandmother’s past home in Mexico or churches visited in her lifetime.

Sylvia’s work has a deep appreciation for the natural world. Sharks and snakes are her favorite animals and the sun is a recurring symbol of hope. Sometimes her late mother and father appear as guardian angels in her drawings, oftentimes set against blue skies and large shining suns. A huge lover of popular culture and animation, Sylvia enjoys watching movies and listening to music while making her work. Musicals like ‘Annie’ and ‘Grease’ are a source of fun and inspiration for her while creating rugs.

Sylvia started making art in her early twenties after joining NIAD. Over the past thirty years she has produced hundreds of ceramic sculptures, prints, drawings and fiber works. Recently Sylvia has been focused on rug making, drawing with crayons and sewing fiber wall hangings. Sylvia cites long term NIAD studio facilitator Andres Cisneros-Galindo as an important figure in her practice and development.

Sylvia has exhibited globally at numerous galleries and art fairs, and her work resides in many private collections.