About Me
Who I Am As An Artist
As an artist, I find much inspiration from humankind as a whole. This interest was heightened after my travels to South Africa, when I was lucky enough to gain a first-hand view of life on the other side of the world. It was amazing to see how art could not only bring people together, but how it could distract them from the lives they were living. This inspired me to further my studies in both art and psychology, and continue to discover ways to combine the two in order to help people to disconnect and heal from the challenges they face in life.
Artist Statement
Sarah Chassler
As I continue to figure out who I am as an artist, I realize that my true passion lies at the intersection of ceramics and therapy. Every time I sculpt with clay, I am reminded of how therapeutic it truly is. I can’t help but imagine the amount of trauma its tactile nature can help one to overcome. Whether it be modeling clay into shapes/figures reminiscent of traumatic times/events and then destroy them, or model figures reminiscent of heroes/proud moments and then fire and keep them forever, the opportunities for healing that clay can offer are truly endless.
Clay makes me think about healing, forgiving, creating, destroying, flourishing, recreating, reinventing, struggling, acknowledging, restoring.
My works and processes strive to create a healing environment for people struggling to acknowledge or work through the experiences they’ve endured; I strive to help them to reinvent themselves, restore their faith, create work that allows them to confront their demons, forgive them, and flourish.
My favorite piece is one that I look at and feel most proud of, it is titled 5 Senses. This piece consists of 3 main components, all responsible for activating one of our innate senses. Whether it be the bright teal fur growing out of the tower supporting a wind chime, the light illuminating fur ball in the center, the hollow punctured tower which exudes scented smoke, or the dish of candy attached to it all, you are forced to activate one if not all of your senses.
In this time of quarantine, I plan to make pieces inspired by my living space since that is where I spend most of my time. I plan to make a structure which allows me to properly store and display one of my favorite collections, my earrings. Earrings are something I cherish; some of them are special from my mother and grandmother, and others are mementos from my travels in South Africa. To have them displayed in my living space means just as much to me as displaying them to the world as I wear them in my ears.
Curriculum Vitae
Contact
https://sarahc514.wixsite.com/website
Instagram: sarahsssculpture
Education
2021 Bachelor’s of Art, Minor in Psychology
Group Exhibitions
2016 LifeArt Gallery, Medford, OR
2020 Washburn Gallery, University of Oregon
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Foyer Gallery, University of Oregon
Teaching Experience
2016 Wheel Throwing Instructor, Jackson County Children’s Art Festival, Jacksonville, OR
Collections
2020 Wax Melters, Eugene, OR
2020 Giveaway Pots, Eugene, OR
2021 10 Gumdrops, Eugene, OR
Awards
2017 Artist of the Month, North Medford High School, Medford, OR
Grants
2017 Pathway Grant, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 2017-2021
2017 Pell Grant, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Scholarships
2017 Leona DeArmond Scholarship
2017 Sodexo Scholarship
2017 & 2019 Fairy Godmother Scholarship
Aesthetics and Concept
My Internal Struggle with Art
I use clay to satisfy the creative ideas floating around in my head. This allows me to focus more on self-discovery through my work, rather than focusing on sending a specific message to the audience. Coming from years in an academic setting, the idea of symbolless work seemed inferior to me while deep, conceptual work seemed to be what was recognized as being “good art”. I wanted my work to be considered “art”, however I was afraid that without meaning, my pieces may fall under the “craft” category instead. As I struggled in my attempt to conform to this preconception, or should I say misconception, I realized my art does not necessarily always have to tell a story; the story can simply be that the piece makes one happy to look at. I want my work to evoke feelings of curiosity, positivity, the urge to touch and feel the piece. The thought of someone finding comfort in the aesthetic, formal qualities of my work is what makes me feel successful. The art world has conditioned us to assume all work must have derivable meaning, however I think my art contests this. I focus more on the formal qualities: texture, form, movement, and more. When it comes to my process I tend to be very organized and linear, starting with an idea and outlining how I can execute it formally. As I continue to grow, I am becoming more comfortable with the idea of spontaneity, starting without an end goal. I enjoy texture, especially in excessive amounts that encourage the need/want to physically engage the work. I apply a maximalist’s approach to texture, and consider the aesthetic quality to be representative of the work’s success, not the conceptual ideas by which it was formulated.