ABOUT

Marcela Sinnett (b. 1993, El Salvador) is a Salvadoran-American artist based in Savannah, Georgia. Her work explores Salvadoran identity, migration, and cultural memory through Indigenous folklore, material research, and Indigenous and craft-based processes such as añil (indigo) dyeing.

She serves as Assistant Manager at Gutstein Gallery at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she supports exhibitions, coordinates installations, and contributes to the development of public programming and curatorial projects. Working between studio practice and gallery operations, her approach is shaped by both material exploration and exhibition-making.

Her work has been exhibited nationally, including Black Brick Project (Brooklyn, NY), Gallery 2424 (Savannah, GA), the Menino Arts Center (Boston, MA), and Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Here work responds to the cultural erasure of minority groups forced to assimilate into dominant norms. Through mixed media printmaking and illustration, she explore mestizaje in El Salvador, a concept that suggests a shared Latino identity but often erases Indigenous and working-class communities while reinforcing Eurocentric ideals.

Marcela approaches the body as a vessel of memory, where layers of material reflect layered cultural and racial identities. By combining Indigenous lore, Catholic traditions, and ornamental patterns, I create spaces where multiple histories coexist, challenging flattened representations of marginalized communities.

Her practice is grounded in research and collaboration with Salvadoran artists, focusing on traditions that are endangered or being revived. Through these processes, she preserves and reinterpret ancestral knowledge in contemporary forms, creating work where cultural memory is both embodied and tangible.

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EDUCATION

Georgia Southern University - M.F.A. in Studio Arts, 2023-2025

Savannah College of Art and Design - B.F.A. in Animation, 2012-2016

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS

2026 ‘Femmueary’, Savannah, GA
2025 ‘Word of Mouth’, Norwood Gallery, Savannah, GA
2025 ‘Siembra’, Black Brick Project, Brooklyn, NY
2025 ‘Focus on Fibers’, Menino Arts Center, Boston, MA
2024–25 MassArt x SoWa Annual Juried Alumni Exhibition, Boston, MA
2024 ‘Guanacos de Corazón’, CAT Gallery, Statesboro, GA
2024 Greener Gallery, Savannah, GA
2024 West Main Art Gallery, Statesboro, GA
2024 ‘One by One’, Gallery 2424, Savannah, GA
2024 CAT Gallery, Savannah, GA
2024 Chautauqua Institute Quad Gallery, Chautauqua, NY
2024 ‘Cielo y Tierra’, Savannah Cultural Arts Center, Savannah, GA

CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2025–Present Gutstein Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2024 ‘After the Harvest’, Savannah Art Association (SAA), Cobra Room at Lone Wolf, Savannah, GA

RESIDENCIES AND WORKSHOPS

2025 Georgia Southern University Museum, Statesboro, GA (Workshop)
2025 Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC (Accepted Resident)
2024 Chautauqua School of Art, Chautauqua, NY (Residency)
2024 Tybee Community Garden, Savannah, GA (Workshop)
2023 Quinta Esencia, La Libertad, El Salvador (Residency)

PRESS

2025 The Pierian Journal, Albany State University
2024 “Five Scholars Honored with Top Graduate Student Award,” Georgia Southern Magazine
2024 Indigo II Mural Review, Tybee Beautification Association
2024 Indigo I Mural Review, Tybee Beautification Association
2024 “New Savannah Gallery 2424 hosts first group exhibition,” Savannah Morning News
2022 “They’re our waters: Savannah's Storm Drain Art Project involves community in our waterways,” Savannah Morning News

GRANTS AND RECOGNITIONS

2025 Tybee Community Garden Grant, City of Tybee

Secured a grant from the City of Tybee to design and paint a mural for the Tybee Beautification Project.

2025 Carolyn Joyner Memorial Scholarship, Georgia Southern University

Awarded to a Master of Fine Arts student with a strong focus in textile arts, including historical preservation, fashion design, and international textile traditions.

2024 Research Grant, Georgia Southern University

Awarded funding to travel to El Salvador to research the connections between Salvadoran indigo dyeing techniques and those of the American South.

2024 Nominee, Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Council, Georgia Southern University

Nominated by program directors to serve on the GSO Council, which supports scholarly activities, professional development, and social opportunities for graduate students across all campuses.

2024 Tybee Community Garden Grant, City of Tybee

Secured a grant from the City of Tybee to host a community indigo dyeing event.

2024 Tybee Community Garden Grant, City of Tybee

Secured a grant from the City of Tybee to design and paint three murals for the Tybee Beautification Project.

2024 Averitt Award for Excellence in Graduate Research, Arts Department, Georgia Southern University

Awarded for research on indigo in El Salvador and the American South. First recipient in the Arts Department to win this award.

2023 Tybee Community Garden Grant, City of Tybee

Secured a grant from the City of Tybee to design and paint three signs for the Tybee Beautification Project.

2023 Illustration, We'Moon

Won a contest for artwork to be featured in We'Moon 2024, a women's agenda that includes poetry and art from women worldwide.

2022 Savannah Storm Drain Contest Grant, City of Savannah

Secured a grant from the City of Savannah to design and paint a mural.

PUBLIC ART AND COMMISSIONS

2026 Mark Kruger Freelance Illustrator

Created original illustrations for a book project, collaborating with the author to develop visual narratives.

2024 Operation New Hope Facility (DBHDD) Commissioned Mural Artist

Selected through a competitive call to design and execute a permanent mural for a public-facing healthcare facility.

2021 Hedera Freelance Illustrator

Illustrated images for a cryptocurrency company's webpage.

2020 Daniel E. Snyder Illustrator

Illustrated the book cover for The Tender Detail: Ornament and Sentimentality in the Architecture of Louis H. Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

2019 Dame Darcy Illustrator

Colored comic book pages for Frankencow.

2017 Bang Bang Banana Mural Artist

Designed and painted a site-specific mural for a restaurant in Penghu, Taiwan.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2025–Present Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Savannah, GA — Assistant Gallery Manager

2024–2025 Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA — Instructor of Record

2024–2025 Fibers Guild of the Savannahs, Savannah, GA — President

2023 Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA — Graduate Assistant