School of Visual & Performing Arts

Department of Art : Graduate Program

Edel Rodriguez

Edel Rodriguez is a Cuban American artist, born in Havana in 1971.  In 1980, he and his family boarded a boat and left for America during the Mariel boatlift.  They settled in Miami where he was introduced to and influenced by American pop culture.

Rodriguez graduated with honors from Pratt Institute and received his MFA degree from Hunter College.  His work is in many private and public institutions, including the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.  He is a regular contributor to The New York Times Op Ed page and The New Yorker magazine.  He has created over 100 newspaper, magazine and book covers for clients that include TIME, Newsweek, The Nation, Businessweek, The Village Voice, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House.  Additionally, he has illustrated 9 children’s books, two of which he has written.  This spring he was commissioned by Chanel to illustrate the release of their new fashion line in Havana.

Rodriguez has received numerous awards from the Art Director’s Club and The Society of Illustrators in NYC.  He was recently selected by Ad Age as one of the “50 Most Creative People of the Year 2016”.

http://edelr.com/