Work in Process

Artist Carlos Santiago Arroyo shares the process, materials, and tools related to his wooden sculptures. Reflecting on historic examples on view, Arroyo discusses his techniques, along with the cultural significance of carving in wood.Free.

Carlos Santiago Arroyo is a Puerto Rican Artisan immersed in the popular art form of carving wooden santos. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1947. In the early 70's, Santiago Arroyo immigrated to Boston to teach in a predominantly Latino public school. He brought his passion for santos with him. As a former teacher and social worker, Carlos Santiago Arroyo tended to the hearts and minds in the community. He now offers workshops and presents his carvings in a variety of venues such as Latino classrooms and community events, and he has been featured in a variety of exhibitions at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the Museo de las Américas in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Worcester Art Museum, the Fitchburg Art Museum and the Lowell Folk Art Festival.
From March to June of 2014 Santiago Arroyo had the privilege of offering a santos carving workshop to ten receptive adolescents at the Providence Vocational Technical Academy. This effort was the fruit of a collaboration with Carolyne Kellner, the art teacher at the high school, Rhode Island Latino Arts Network with Marta Martínez, and the Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy with Lydia Pérez This project was also funded by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
Santiago Arroyo has the conviction that he can make a contribution, albeit modest, to the preservation of the noble tradition of carving wooden santos. He loves bringing Santos to the classrooms of Latino students and other ethnic groups. He says "Here in this country they don't talk about Puerto Rican culture in many classrooms filled by Puerto Rican students so I see it as an opportunity to show them one aspect that they can be very proud of about their culture." Santos literally translates to "saints" in Spanish and represents a centuries old tradition of folk religious devotion.
Historically, carvers made small wooden santos for the purpose of household devotion. This was a vibrant popular tradition that enveloped most of the Island. For the past few generations, the santo has undergone a transition from an object of religious value to an object of cultural and artistic expression. Today carvers work to satisfy the wishes of collectors, galleries and art museums who value this vibrant folk art tradition in the country and in the diaspora.
With his beautiful santos, Carlos reminds us of the power that a sacred art form can have in the preservation of cultural values and history. In his art, he speaks to the soul.