DVAA Member since 2026

Sarah Butler

WEBsite: https://sarahbutlerart.me/

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About:

Sarah is an interdisciplinary visual artist and childhood educator based in Philadelphia, PA. Her work reflects on the meaning we assign to the natural world, and how human relationships with nature evolve over time. Her work explores physical ties to the land, as well as more emotional, ephemeral connections to space, place, and memory.

In her work with young learners, Sarah designs and facilitates play-based educational workshops that emphasize inquiry, collaboration, and stewardship while exploring visual art and natural science. Sarah’s programming often incorporates what she’s currently exploring in the studio, modified to best serve the age group.

Sarah has participated in group shows in Washington, DC; Ithaca, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as solo exhibitions in Ithaca, NY; and Ísafjörður, Iceland. She received her BA in Environmental Science from Ithaca College in 2015, and her MFA from PAFA in 2022.

Artist Statement:

My work reflects on the meaning we assign to the natural world, and how human relationships with nature evolve over time. I explore physical ties to the land, as well as more emotional, ephemeral connections to space, place, and memory. Much of my inspiration is rooted in personal encounters with the land around me, from exploring the Appalachian wilderness growing up, to sporadic but significant time spent in Iceland over the last decade.

While thematically linked, my work spans across various 2D and 3D media, exploring different methods of working with the natural world as both subject and material. Most recently, this has centered around extracting pigments for site-specific, handmade paints, as well as papermaking, cyanotype, and anthrotype. I aim to create work that envelops the viewer in wonder and curiosity, regardless of medium.