B. 1998 New York, NY
Currently resides in Queens, NY.
EDUCATION
2021 - 2024 Master of Fine Arts, Experimental Animation, California Institute of the Arts
2016 - 2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Film/Animation/Video, Rhode Island School of Design
SELECT FESTIVALS
SWIM!
2024
Rock, Paper, Scissors at Bumbershoot Arts & Music Fest, Seattle, Washington
La Guarimba International Film Festival, Calabria, Italy
Tiny Film Fest, Los Angeles, California
Animac International Film Festival of Animation, Catalonia, Spain
Tricky Women/Tricky Realities, Vienna, Austria
San Diego Underground Film Festival, San Diego, California
2023
BITBANG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Hokkaido, Japan
Vermont Animated Film Festival, Newbury, Vermont
ASIFA-Hollywood's Animated Short Film of the Month (August), virtual
Primanima World Festival of First Animations, Budaörs, Hungary
LINOLEUM Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
Turku Animated Film Festival, Turku, Finland
FAB Festival of Animation Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny, Savigny, Switzerland
Fantoche International Animation Film Festival, Baden, Switzerland
Kuandu International Animation Festival, Taipei, Taiwan
Silver Lake Shorts, Los Angeles, California
Fest Anca, Žilina, Slovakia
Anifilm International Festival of Animation, Liberec, Czech Republic
Dog Husband
2022
Kansas City Underground Film Festival, Kansas City, Missouri
Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny, Savigny, Switzerland
Peripheries Experimental Film & Video Festival, Boston, Massachusetts
Mobile Animation Film Festival - MAFF, Mobile, Alabama
2021
Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
INSTALLATIONS & EXHIBITIONS
2024
Experiments in Cinema, group screening, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Stop-Gap Microcinema: animation microdose!, group exhibition, Columbia, Missouri
Currant Jam: Winter Solstice, group exhibition, Los Angeles, California
2023
Clay Slay, group exhibition, CalArts, Valencia, California
Paper Fetish, group exhibition, CalArts, Valencia, California
CalArts Experimental Animation Showcase, REDCAT, Los Angeles, California
Malt adult #26, group screening, Public Works Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Animation Karaoke, ground screening, CalArts, Valencia, California
2021
That's a tattoo, group exhibition, CalArts, Valencia, California
Mon Œil episode 247, Centre Pompidou virtual programming
2019
Soft Screen Cinema Vol.2, group screening, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
AWARDS & GRANTS
2024
Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor, Princess Grace Foundation
Tricky Women Up and Coming Award, Tricky Women Tricky Realities International Animation Fest
2023
Special Jury Award for Student Film, New Chitose Airport International Animation Fest
International Graduation Shorts Special Mention, BITBANG
Student Union Grant, CalArts
Jules Engel Award, scholarship, CalArts
2021
Lillian Disney Award, scholarship, CalArts
PRESS
Vassilis Kroustallis. “SWIM! by Isabel Santos.” Zippy Frames, February 10, 2025.
Diego Ramos Bechara. “Princess Grace Awards Announces 18 Winners, Fetes 11 Honoraria Recipients.” Variety, August 6, 2024.
Jon Doyle. “Daneshevskaya – Big Bird.” Various Small Flames, August 30, 2023.
David Renshaw. “Daneshevskaya’s ‘Big Bird’ offers up a rare sighting.” The Fader ,
August 29, 2023.
Rachel Brodsky. “Daneshevskaya – ‘Big Bird.’” Stereogum, August 29, 2023.
“Life & Work with Isabel Santos.” Interview by VoyageLA, July 24, 2023.
TEACHING
2023 - 2024
Assistant Instructor, SPMAP Sony Pictures Media Arts Program Community Arts Partnership Department, CalArts and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
- Introduction to Animation after-school program for K-12 students.
- Taught the principles of animation through tactile techniques such as paper puppet, strattacut, pixelation, and hand drawn animation.
2022
Lead Instructor, CAPSA Community Arts Partnership Summer Arts, CalArts
- Animation summer program for students at Susan Miller Dorsey High School.
- Developed and taught lessons in accessible and tactile media for animation such as paper puppet, strattacut, hand drawn animation, and pixelation.
2021 - 2024
Teaching Assistant, CalArts
- Sound for EA, BFA 2, Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
- Sound for EA, MFA 2, Fall 2022 and Spring 2023
- Observation and Play, Spring 2022
- History of Animation, Fall 2021 and Spring 2022
2018 - 2020
Teaching Assistant, RISD, Providence, Rhode Island
- Character Design, Spring 2020
- Introduction to Animation, Fall 2019
- Computer Animation, Fall 2018 and Spring 2019
2018
Studio Assistant, The Art Barge, Montauk, New York
- Aided children’s workshops and classes for elderly students in painting, figure drawing, watercolor, and collage.
- Curatorial Assistant for Mabel D’Amico retrospective.
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
2022
Experimental Animation Visiting Artist Coordinator, CalArts, Valencia, California
- Organized virtual artist talks for CalArts students with Atsushi Wada, Barry Doupe, Zhong Xian, Luca Toth, and Nara Normande.
- Installed Barry Doupe’s Distracted Blueberry in a gallery space.
- Co-organized a collaborative workshop and strattacut demo with David Daniels.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023
Freelance Director and Animator, Winspear, New York, New York
- Conceptualized, pitched and animated music video for the song “Big Bird” by Daneskevskaya with a two-week turnaround.
2020 - 2022
Freelance Animator (remote), Ponytail Media, Brooklyn, New York
- Provided looping animation, illustration, and digital collage assets to the production of an animated documentary and commercials.
- Brought vision and aesthetic to life as Art Director for Jamaal Bowman’s Green New Deal for Public Schools commercial.
2021
Freelance Writer and Director, Adult Swim
- Co-wrote, co-directed and co-designed two shorts for Adult Swim Smalls called “BRB I'm on my Break.” Provided the voice for “Receptionist B”.
Education Publications Intern, Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York
- Designed educational pamphlets to help children engage with works on view.
- Designed an instructional figure drawing book in collaboration with educators.
Technical Curator, The D’Amico Institute Of Art, The Art Barge, Montauk, New York
- Redesigned the institute website.
- Provided and curated content for social media adhering to new design identity.
- Developed an experimental documentary short film of the barge.
2020 - 2021
Freelance Designer, The D’Amico Institute Of Art, The Art Barge, Montauk, New York
- Redesigned logo and print materials.
- Documented artwork, film and original historical photos for archive.