Alejandra (Alex) Sanchez is a Mexican-born textile artist, shepherd, and conservationist based in Mondovi, Wisconsin, where she operates A Woolen Forest Farm & Textile Studio. Her practice centers on the conservation of endangered heritage sheep breeds, with a focus on the Navajo Churro, and the preservation of ancestral textile traditions; working through the intersections of agriculture, art, and environmental justice.
Born in Mexico and having moved to the U.S. as a child, Alejandra found that working with wool and plants allowed her to reclaim a sense of rootedness and connection to both her homeland and to her ancestors. She cultivates a natural dye garden featuring ancestral plants- such as indigo, marigolds, and pericón – and sources other traditional dyes like cochineal directly from Mexican farmers. At the heart of her studio practice is her flock of Navajo Churro sheep. These sheep, a distinctive double-coated breed, have been integral to Hispanic and Indigenous textile cultures in Mexico and the Southwest for over 400 years. As a steward of her flock, Alejandra ensures that her embroidery art begins by being rooted in the land, using the yarn grown by her sheep.
A dedicated educator, Alejandra shares her expertise through textile art classes offered at various institutions across the Midwest, encouraging folks to view their wool-craft as a form of land stewardship. She teaches classes on wool spinning, wool processing, natural dyeing, and heritage breed studies.