Rosaura Rodríguez

Rosaura Rodríguez [1989] is an artist and educator from Puerto Rico interested in nature and society through a multi-sensory approach. She creates illustrations, graphic narratives, pigments and objects in which handcrafted, artisanal traditions converge with contemporary experimentation. 

 

She has been researching tropical-carribbean sources of color in nature from plants and soil by creating watercolors, inks, dyes and mark making materials, while connecting this practice with her history and context. A big motivation for this work is gathering and rebuilding the Caribbean natural color knowledge that has been lost or undocumented. This work is mostly abstract, drawing inspiration from textures of water, air, foliage and land.

 

In 2018-2019 she was awarded the NALAC - NFA Puerto Rico Artist Grant de NALAC for her project “Trabajo de Campo”, a deep dive into the pigments from her immediate surroundings, which culminated in a multi-media exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico (MACPR). Her work has also been shown in the Josefina del Toro Fulladosa Collection in the Rare Books Room of the Lázaro Library at UPR-Río Piedras, the Galeria Contrabando, Salem Art Works (Salem, NY), Taller Secreto, and other venues.

 

Her narrative-illustrative work has been recognized by the publication “Días” and “Rapiña/Carroña”, co-edited, written and illustrated with Omar Banuchi, the children’s book “Tinti: el corazón de Casa Pueblo”, and many book covers. These publications and her pigment work share a few common themes: Puerto Rican history, colonialism, environmental action, mundane / daily life stories, inclusion + education and sensory exploration.

 

Her academic formation is a BA in Hispanic Literature and a MaED in Special and Differentiated Education with a focus on Autism and Sensory Processing Differences. These interests play a role in the sensory and narrative approach to her art making and art education practice.

 

She is co-director of Camp Tabonuco, an experiential education project in the mountains of Jayuya, Puerto Rico, where she recently designed and co-led the Natural Color Encounters — an immersive natural pigment workshop series focused on local colors and sustainability.