Born in 1942 in Espanola, New Mexico, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval is a fiber artist and educator known for incorporating recycled materials – including vinyl and microfilm – into his works. Sandoval completed both his BA (1964) and MA (1969) at California State College, Los Angeles. Despite a history of weaving on both sides of his family, Sandoval first incorporated fiber into his artistic practice in 1965 as a graduate student. He continued working in the medium with an eye towards education while completing his MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1971. Sandoval taught at several schools around the country before accepting a faculty position in the art department at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, in 1974, where he remained until his retirement. Sandoval has gained wide recognition for his experimental approach to working in fiber, receiving fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1973 and 1992) and the 2003 Artist Award from the Kentucky governor. His work is represented within the collections of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art  in Washington, DC. Sandoval was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2007.