Art fell into the picture by chance for Niko Sanchez, a member of the 2025-26 JustArts Fellows cohort.
Our VIP team leader Niko Sanchez, part of the Makerspace Research Collaborative and a member of the 2025–2026 JustArts Fellows cohort, is transforming how art and sustainability intersect on campus.
Sanchez’s journey into art began unexpectedly during a bike ride through his old neighborhood in San Diego. A stop at Chicano Park led to a chance meeting with muralist Salvador Torres, a key figure in the park’s iconic murals. That moment sparked an eight-month apprenticeship and set Sanchez on a path into muralism, sculpture and teaching.
He is now a second-year Ph.D. student in Applied Intercultural Arts Research at the Graduate College and a Digital Design and Fabrication Specialist at the CATalyst Studio in the University of Arizona Main Library, Sanchez continues to blend creative practice with research and mentorship leading student teams through hands-on, collaborative projects.
His JustArts project, “PLAing with Trash: Turning 3D Printing Polylactic Acid Waste into Art,” addresses a growing issue in makerspaces: excess 3D printing waste. By collecting failed prints and discarded materials across campus, Sanchez is building a network that transforms waste into sculptures and interactive art.
Working with the Campus Sustainability Fund and campus sites like CATalyst Studios, the Engineering Design Center and ENR2, Sanchez has created collection systems and leads workshops where students turn scrap materials into engaging works of art.
His projects also push creative boundaries. For the MLK Dream Student Space, he designed a large basket and programmed LED lights for a ball drop using repurposed materials. Inspired by mentorship from JustArts coordinator Ashley Martin-Casler, he has also begun incorporating sound-reactive elements into his sculptures, where light and color respond to music.
Sanchez will next bring this work to the community at Tucson’s TENWEST Impact Festival, inviting participants to help build a collaborative sculpture using sorted 3D printing waste.
Through his leadership, Sanchez continues to foster innovation, collaboration and sustainability guiding students while reimagining what can be created from what is often thrown away.
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