Appell Arts Fellow Gabriel Sanchez Carpio ‘25 Opens Showcase Cuero at Marketview Arts
After spending almost a year working on his artwork as part of the Appell Arts Fellowship, Dominican Republic native Gabriel Sanchez Carpio ‘25 shared his showcase, Cuero, along with news of a graduate school acceptance.
When Gabriel Sanchez Carpio ‘25 graduated from York College of Pennsylvania, he didn’t just leave with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and a passion for painting. At the encouragement of his professors and advisor, he applied for one of two Art Fellowships offered by The Center for Community Engagement at Marketview Arts, a gallery space located in downtown York.
Carpio was named the 2025-2026 Appell Arts Fellow.
“When a Fine Art student graduates, they have the opportunity to apply to [The Appell] fellowship,” Carpio said. “It is an 11-month fellowship, so almost a year. [...] You get to work on your art while also working in Marketview and getting paid for it.” Each fellowship experience concludes with a final exhibition highlighting the work they’ve completed during their tenure as a fellow.
Carpio’s final exhibition, titled Cuero, the Spanish word for “leather,” displays narrative paintings he created that tell different stories of his life growing up in the Dominican Republic. The exhibit opened on June 4 with an artist talk facilitated by Marketview Arts Gallery Director, Matthew Clay-Robison. In his talk, Carpio shared that many of his pieces utilize the fragmentation of space and perspective to bring the stories from his memories to life. They also blend many elements of Caribbean and Dominican culture that are connected to his identity. This culminating exhibition of Carpio’s work will be open in Gallery Hall at Marketview Arts through July 4, 2026.
“There are narrative paintings that take from the religious history of the Caribbean because…there is a syncretism between Christianity or Catholicism and African and Taíno Indigenous culture,” Carpio said. “There is a really strong energy between those different religions that clash [with] each other. So I use that to create a narrative of how that syncretism impacts everyday life in those islands in the Caribbean, but also how that syncretism and growing up in that space affects people after getting out of the island.”
Carpio shared that he loves developing ideas and meaningful elements in his work. They bring him a tremendous amount of excitement when painting, and he looks forward to sharing his latest pieces with the York College and art community at Marketview Arts.
“I’m excited to show everyone what I’ve been working on, and I’m excited for my professors or former professors to see my new paintings, and some of my friends to see my new paintings,” he said.
After the showcase and fellowship conclude, Carpio will be taking the next step in his artistic career path, moving to New York. There, he will attend Columbia University to earn an MFA in Painting and Visual Arts.
“It’s in the heart of New York, and being from a place where there is so much variety in culture and people, I feel like New York will be a nice place for me to grow in my art career and grow my ideas there,” Carpio said.
He is already looking forward to moving to the big city next month and setting goals for himself. Not only will it be an opportunity to improve his artistic skills, but it will also allow him to grow and decide the kind of artist he wants to be as he delves deeper into his style.
“As an artist, I always want to challenge myself and keep developing my art,” Carpio said. “To be more specific, I want to do bigger paintings. I do a lot of details in my paintings and patterns, and I’ve learned the hard way that working bigger, it makes it easier to do those patterns and to paint them later.”
“But also, I want to [make] connections, [and] I want to live life. That’s an important part of being an artist, and I want to grow as an artist and do more paintings, and to challenge myself painting.”
Carpio hopes to pursue additional out-of-state fellowships after completing his graduate program, ultimately continuing what he feels is a calling to paint and explore where he can take his artistic creativity.
Thanks to his time at York College, Carpio was able to ignite his passion for art. And now, as he takes his next steps in his creative career, the College faculty and staff wish him all the best in his journey ahead.
“I came to York College, not knowing much about painting,” Carpio said. “I actually used to only draw without color, and that has completely changed because now, what I do is mostly paint, I use acrylics, and my works are really colorful.”
“In undergraduate teaching, you occasionally encounter strong technical skill or fresh conceptual thinking in an undergraduate student, but rarely are the two paired with maturity and discipline,” said Dr. Jessica Sponsler, Assistant Professor of Art History. “Gabe possesses all three, along with a calm, focused work ethic that sets him apart. He is unruffled by critique, listens carefully, and experiments thoughtfully with suggestions until they align with his artistic vision. His strength lies not simply in receiving critique well, but in transforming guidance into work that is unmistakably his own.”
“As his professor, it was amazing to watch him accelerate,” said Prof. Ry Fryar, Carpio’s advisor and Assistant Professor of Art. “Gabriel's growth as an artist came from a combination of curiosity and a deep willingness to learn. He approached challenges with an open mind and a commitment to working long hours at his craft. I'm incredibly proud of what he has accomplished, the work he created here at York and during his tenure as the Appell Fellow, and excited to see how his practice evolves at Columbia.”
Be sure to stop by Carpio’s exhibit at Marketview Arts, located on 37 W. Philadelphia Street, and don’t miss the opportunity to experience the story of his artwork.
