Sandra Andrade
Education
MA, Visual Development, Academy of Art University, 2023
MA, Game Development, Academy of Art University, 2019
MFA, Visual Effects and Animation, 3D Character Modeling, Academy of Art University, 2018
BA, Media Arts and Animation, 3D Environment Modeling, Art Institute of Philadelphia, 2014
Biography
Sandra Andrade is an Assistant Professor of Animation in the School of Art at UNC Greensboro, where she teaches courses in digital modeling, advanced character and creature design, and capstone production for animation and games. Her practice focuses on character and creature modeling, environment design, and cinematic storytelling, grounded in a commitment to representational equity and BIPOC centered narratives in digital media.
Before joining UNCG, Andrade taught at Miami Dade College, Florida International University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Miami International University of Art and Design, developing curricula that mirror professional studio pipelines in both animation and game development. At Florida International University she was one of the initial faculty members for the Animation and Game program, where she helped shape the emerging curriculum and instructed students in the program’s first game and 3D modeling capstone. In that capstone her students developed Fox and Frog, an original game project that moved from concept art to a playable build.
Her professional experience includes serving as Character Modeling Supervisor for The Other Side, a Pixar Co-Op short film, leading teams that translate concept art into production ready 3D assets. She previously served as Art Director for Gabb Global, a virtual reality language learning platform that supports English language learners through immersive environments, working with the team until January 2022. During her time with Gabb Global she was recognized through the Verizon Forward for Good Challenge in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative University and as a prize recipient in the Black Ambition competition.
Her students have collaborated with industry and community partners including Univision, Disney Junior, the Bay of Pigs Museum and Library, Level Headed Games, and the Pixar Co-Op “The Other Side” gaining mentorship from working professionals while producing client focused work for games, broadcast, and museum contexts.
Andrade’s work and teaching have been featured in several media outlets, including coverage of the Pixar Co-Op project, an FIU Caplin News article discussing game culture and the Nintendo ecosystem, and a YouTube feature on her practice and educational work. She serves on the Steering Committee for the Animation Educators Forum of ASIFA Hollywood, an international community that supports animation teachers and programs through grants, scholarships, and public programming. Across her roles as artist, educator, and collaborator, Andrade is dedicated to building pipelines that are technically rigorous, industry informed, and deeply student centered.
Subjects Taught
- ART 398, Intro to Digital Modeling
- ART 445, Advanced Digital Modeling
- ART 491, Animation Capstone 1
Scholarly Creative/Research Activity
Andrade’s scholarly and creative work explores non photorealistic rendering and stylized shading workflows for animation and games, with particular attention to hair, skin, and costume pipelines that more accurately represent global and BIPOC identities. She is developing curricular and production pipelines that connect inclusive character and creature design with game and animation workflows in Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine.
Her ongoing projects and recent work include
- Character modeling supervision for The Other Side Pixar Co-Op film, guiding a distributed team through full production asset development.
- Previous art direction and pipeline development for Gabb Global, a VR language learning platform recognized by the Verizon Forward for Good Challenge and Black Ambition Prize.
- Collaborative student projects and capstones mentored by partners such as Univision, Disney Junior, the Bay of Pigs Museum and Library, Level Headed Games, and Pixar Studios.
Her public scholarship and media features include a segment on artificial intelligence and higher education, multiple features highlighting her leadership of the Pixar Co-Op collaboration, commercial and feature pieces produced through Miami Dade College, and an FIU Caplin News article focusing on games and the Nintendo platform landscape.
Across these initiatives Andrade links inclusive digital storytelling, emerging technology, and industry aligned pedagogy to expand access and opportunity for the next generation of animators and game artists.