
Sarah Gjertson
Professor
Art—Studio
303-871-3263 (Office)
Shwayder Art Building, 2121 E. Asbury St. Denver, CO 80208
What I do
Sarah teaches a variety of Studio Art courses in the School of Art and Art History, many of which reflect her wide range of expertise in methods of thinking and making, which she simultaneously extends to her students. As an artist without allegiance to any particular medium, her own practice begins with research methods to build a solid knowledge base and understanding of histories and contexts. This accumulated knowledge then informs material choices and processes, which have included outcomes as sculptural objects, installation, film and video, photography, works on paper, repurposed found objects, and printmaking processes. In her own work, she hopes to make visible (and in some cases tangible) the histories, voices and stories of women traversing the complex and conflicting expectations they experience living in American culture. Additionally, she encourages opportunities for students to engage with their own origins and subjectivity as a starting point to embed meaning into the works they create, and embrace the conceptual potency of medium and process.
Professional Biography
As of 2019, Sarah is spearheading a new Studio area in SAAH called “Integrated Practice”, which offers students a means to work conceptually across mediums and build connections between traditional processes. Of many goals, Integrated Practice aims to support students’ growing self-awareness of their own origins and subjectivity, identify larger themes in their work and connect them through research to other disciplines, and help prepare them for the broadening landscape available to them as creative practitioners.
Degree(s)
- MFA, Studio Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997
- BFA, FIne Art, Studio, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1992
Professional Affiliations
- American Association of University Professors