About Karen

Artist

Karen Arp-Sandel, is a prolific artist and a spiritual activist. She specializes in capturing the serendipity of life. Her fresh, playful approach to mixed media includes collage, watercolor paintings, artist books,found object constructions and mail art. She is dedicated to the living inside the creative process and finds inspiration though mindfulness.Her artwork is a fusion of conceptual and narrative ideas expressed in multilayered mixed media collages. With watercolors, she is a vibrant colorist.

Art by Karen Arp-Sandel can be seen locally in New York and Massachusetts galleries, at IS183 Art School, online at the Museum of Motherhood and internationally with Art House Sketch Book Tours. Her collages, paintings and mixed media pieces are in private collections in the US and abroad. Studio tours and sales are available by appointment her Canaan, NY home /studio/gallery: Maison Collage.

Arts in Education

Karen Arp-Sandel brings over 3 decades of experience to her role on the Faculty of IS183 Art School and their outreach Learning through Arts program. Enthusiasm and skill, flow through her crystal clear instructional style and scholarly knowledge of the arts in every level of her teaching.

Her BA and teacher certification credentials are from University of Massachusetts. Post grad, she completed Graphic Design and Illustration in Rochester, NY. She freelanced as a graphic designer in New York and Massachusetts.

Immersing herself in the role of elementary teacher in a visionary private school setting, Karen melded her ideas around interdisciplinary pedagogy and visual literacy with a commitment to bring art into classroom. A decade later, she extended her expertise to the local community art school, and to museum education settings as a teaching artist. In this capacity she directs the focus of her work to guiding people of all ages toward learning about their innate creativity.

FeMail

Karen is a dynamic mail artist, who avidly engages in “postal discourse”. She is passionate about bringing artists together in unique collaborations like, FeMail. This is an ongoing mail art exchange, whose archives include hundreds of original post card artworks. Drawing on a life-time of experience in watercolor painting, Karen enriches her mail art and artist chronicles with flowing paintings and spontaneous illustrations. She is a member of IOUMA ( International Union of Mail Artists).

As the co-founder of FeMail, Karen is a featured guest blogger at NYC based Museum of Motherhood. Thanks to her co-founder, Suzi Banks Baum, her musings about mail art are also on Laundry Line Divine and Out of the Mouths of Babes (as part of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers).

Yoga Activism/Vibrant Visionary Collage

As her social activism developed a stronger focus on peace culture and self-transcendent work in the world, she studied cross-cultural contemplative practices and mindfulness. She holds Kripalu Yoga and YogaED. teacher certification from Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. She is a recipient of Teaching for Diversity and Rachel Greene KYTA grants for programs reaching at-risk populations. Karen uplifts and empowers her students while cultivating the nurturing community in which to explore the deeper practices of Yoga.

Locally, she teaches weekly BKC Yoga classes and assists YIS programs for Kriplau’s IEL research, in the public schools. Globally, she’s expanding toward international outreach with the Caribbean Yoga Conference in Jamaica. She joined Karma Krew for spiritual activism at SOS Children’s Village in Barrett Town near Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Each spring, Karen presents her experiential women’s workshop called: Vibrant Visionary Collage, as a member of Kripalu’s Yoga faculty. This transformational program is a spiritual art immersion, in which Karen’s participants experience positive change, renewal, emotional enhancement and creative inspiration. Vibrant Visionary Collage is presented annually at the renown Kripalu Center where it draws national and international enrollment.