Sandra Crisante

It was an elementary school teacher who first called Sandra “an artist” and inspired her to reframe how she saw herself.

Sandra is a contemporary artist working in mixed media sculpture, drawing, painting and photography living in Hamilton, Ontario. Her work examines themes related to self, sense of place, memories, and the juxtaposed relationship between the natural and manufactured environments.

She was born in Italy and always wondered what her life would have been like if her family hadn’t emigrated to Canada when she was young. That yearning inspired her to study art in Florence Italy during her last year of high school. There, she saw masterpieces at galleries and museums and learned about figurative drawing, sculpture, fresco and mosaic techniques. She continued her studies in art and received an Honours Degree in Art and Art History from McMaster University, as well as a Bachelor of Education Degree in Art and Drama from the University of Western. 

Sandra thrived as a part of the vibrant arts community and rented two art studios: one on King William St. as a university student, and later, one across from Gore Park. She was active in the art scene with the Hamilton Artists Inc. and exhibited in the Hamilton and Toronto area as well as in Italy. 

Sandra taught Art and Drama in a private school, Canadian College Italy, taught Art in Burlington, Milton and Hamilton and was the Head of the Arts Department at both Glendale Secondary and Westdale Secondary Schools where she retired after a rewarding 33 year career.  

Sandra has travelled extensively and in 2019, was selected as an Artist in Residence in a small southern town in Italy where she explored Napoli and the Amalfi coast. The rich environment soon became her muse and inspired her sculptural body of work.