ARTIST INFO

SARAH VAUGHN
Penland, NC

GLASS | Sculptural glass

Penland Affiliation | Penland Resident Artist 2021 – 2024

Artist Information | Studio artist; education: MFA Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), BFA Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (IL), AA Olney Central College (IL); teaching: Chrysler Museum of Glass Studio (VA), Third Degree Glass Factory (MO), Old Dominion University (VA), Governor’s School of Art (VA); exhibitions: Wayne Art Center (PA), Artlink Contemporary Gallery (IN), Yeiser Art Center (KY), Brea Gallery (CA), Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (NC), Appalachian Center for Craft (TN), Winterowd Fine Art (NM), Tacoma Museum of Glass (WA), Momentum Gallery (NC)

Artist Statement | I create sculptures and installations that pause to consider pivotal moments and visualize the precarious balance we maintain throughout life. Primarily using cast and cold-formed processes, I exploit the preconceived perception of glass as a material to help articulate the topics being explored, asking the viewer to question the material being used and how it changes their notion of what they see.
My work focuses on responses to experiences throughout life. I consider each piece an abstracted self-portrait, capturing thoughts, anxieties, memories, and hopes. Recurring themes like “precarious balance” and “contemplative moments” speak to the desire to find harmony and a sense of order while acknowledging that I am tiptoeing on the edge of chaos. At times using tension, friction, and gravity to stack, wedge, and balance elements to create the desired effect. The emotional response elicited from the viewer is meant to allow pause, reflecting on one’s own history, finding common ground within the emotions we have all experienced throughout life regardless of the narratives that lead us there.

Technical Information | Cast and flameworked glass