about — sarah fisher

STATEMENT
I record the human need to be authentically seen. Working in a variety of media, I create two- and three-dimensional portraits of myself and people I know, love and encounter. My subjects share a strong sense of self and a willingness to be known.

BIO
Sarah Fisher is a visual artist who explores portraiture through the lens of painting, collage, printmaking, installation and sculpture. Solo exhibitions include: It’s OK To Feel This, Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Gallery, Houston, TX (2024), When I Walk I See Things, landSPACE: a kunsthalle, Austin, TX (2023), You Won’t See It Coming, Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX (2022); Decisions, Michelson Museum of Art, Marshall, TX (2022); It’s No Small Thing, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX (2021); The Second Yes, Front Gallery, Houston, TX (2019); and Seen, Art Palace Gallery, Houston, TX (2017).

Recent two-person exhibitions: Mrs. Schmetterling Unframed, University of Houston Downtown’s O’Kane Gallery, Houston, TX (2022) and Found/Loaded, Stephen F. Austin State University’s Cole Art Center, Nacogdoches, TX (2021). Recent group exhibitions: Kaleidoscope: Celebrating Women in Art, Hooks-Epstein Gallery, Houston, TX (2024), Ignition: G5 Collective at The Jung Center, Houston, TX (2023), 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lufkin, TX (2022), Bearing Witness: Houston Artists Respond, The Blaffer Museum, Houston, TX (2022); Portraits: Impressions of Our Times, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX (2021), A Collection of Friends, Selections from the Estate of William F. Lassiter, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX (2020). In 2021, Fisher was awarded the 2021 Summer Grant Trio Grand Prize by the Wendy Wagner Foundation. Her mixed-media work is published in Mrs. Schmetterling (Arrowsmith Press, 2021), a book of poetry by Robin Davidson. Fisher graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1986 and completed the MFAH Glassell School of Art BLOCK Advanced Studio program in 2018. She is a member of G5 Collective in Houston, TX, where she lives and works.

CV
Solo Exhibitions
Through April 19, 2024, It’s OK To Feel This, Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Gallery, Houston, TX
2023 When I Walk I See Things, landSPACE: a kunsthalle, East Austin, TX
2022 You Won’t See It Coming, Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX
2022 Decisions, Michelson Museum of Art, Marshall, TX
2021 It’s No Small Thing, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2019 The Second Yes, Front Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 Seen, Art Palace Gallery, Houston, TX

Joint Exhibitions
2022 Mrs. Schmetterling Unframed, with poet Robin Davidson, O’Kane Gallery, UH Downtown, Houston, TX
2021 Found/Loaded, Sarah Fisher/Rachel Anderson,The Ed & Gwen Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
2016 Beyond Resemblance: Two Takes on the Portrait, Marky Dewhirst and Sarah Fisher, Interspace Gallery, MFAH Glassell School of Art, Houston, TX

Group Exhibitions
Upcoming: 2024 Lawndale Lending Library, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
Through April 4, 2024, Kaleidoscope: A Celebrating Women in Art, Hooks-Epstein Gallery, Houston, TX
2023 Crossroads — Eastward Imprints: Houston Artists in Austin, Curator: Jonathan Paul Jackson, Big Medium, Austin, TX
2023, Ignition: G5 Collective at The Jung Center, The Jung Center, Houston, TX
2022 Houston Arts Alliance Add-On Gala, Sawyer Yards, Houston, TX
2022 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2022 Bearing Witness: Houston Artists Respond, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX
2021 Portraits: Impressions of Our Times, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2020 A Collection of Friends, Selections from the Estate of William F. Lassiter, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2019 25th Anniversary Texas National, Juror: Michelle White, The Ed & Gwen Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
2019 Lawndale Lending Library, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
2019 Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Juror: Jennie Goldstein, KBR Building Gallery, Houston, TX
2018 Yours, Mine and Ours, Selections from the Lawndale Lending Library, Houston Community College Central Gallery, Houston, TX
2018 Lawndale Lending Library, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
2018 The Big Show, Juror: Evelyn C. Hankins, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
2018 BLOCK XVIII, Curator: Joseph Havel, MFAH Glassell School of Arts, Houston, TX
2018 Artspace III Regional Juried Exhibition, Juror: Christina Rees, Fort Worth, TX
2018 44 Artists from Texas: Part Two, Curator: Linda Cullum, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2018 Always Strong, Curator: Tommy Gregory, Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminal A, Houston, TX
2018 Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Juror: Anna Katz, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 Three Feet High and Rising, Art Palace Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 The BLOCK: Glassell School of Art BLOCK XV111-XIX, Curator: Sally Sprout, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 Known and Underknown Ed. 2017, Curator: Sally Reynolds, Two Allen Center Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 Art City Austin, Group booth with Art Palace Gallery, Austin, TX
2017 BLOCK XVI Spring Show, Interspace Gallery, MFAH Glassell School of Art, Houston, TX
2017 Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Juror: José Esparza Chong Cuy, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX
2016 MFAH Glassell School of Art Student Exhibition, Houston, TX

Honors, Awards, Grants
2023 Number 4, Glasstire Top Five, When I Walk I See Things, landSPACE: a kunthalle, Austin, TX, glasstire.com, 5.4.23
2022 Number 1, Glasstire Top Five, You Won’t See It Coming, Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX, glasstire.com, 8.18.22, illustration
2022 Member, G5 Collective, Houston, TX
2021 Grand Prize, Wendy Wagner Foundation Summer Trio Grant, Houston, TX
2020-2021 Guest Artist, Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center/Periwinkle Foundation Making A Mark® program, Houston, TX
2019 Honorable Mention, 25th Anniversary Texas National, Juror: Michelle White, The Ed & Gwen Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
2018 Juror’s Choice, The Big Show, Juror: Evelyn C. Hankins, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

Books
2021 Mrs. Schmetterling, Poems by Robin Davidson with artwork by Sarah Fisher, Arrowsmith Press, cover plus illustrations, pp. 15, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28, 31, 32, 35, 42, 54

Exhibition Catalogues
2022 You Won’t See It Coming, solo exhibition, Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX
2021 It’s No Small Thing, solo exhibition, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2021 Found/Loaded, joint exhibition with Rachel Anderson, The Ed & Gwen Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX

Recorded Artist Talks
2021 It’s No Small Thing, recorded at Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) on June 5, 2021, LHUCA YouTube Channel, Lubbock, TX
2021 Found/Loaded, recorded and live streamed at The Ed & Gwen Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, February 26, 2021, SFA Fine Arts YouTube Channel, Nacogdoches, TX

Selected Bibliography
Tennant, Donna, ‘Review: G5’s ‘Ignition’ at the Jung Center, Houston, glassire.com, 9.17.23, illustrations
Tennant, Donna, ‘Seeing Things: Sarah Fisher at landSPACE in Austin,’ artsandculturetx.com, 5.1.23, illustrations
Taylor, Sheryl E., ‘O’Kane Gallery Premieres ‘Mrs. Schmetterling Unframed’ Oct. 20,’ uhd.edu, 10.13.11, illustrations
Becker, Chris, ‘Poet Robin Davidson Reads from Her Quirky, ‘Serendipitous’ New Collection at Brazos Bookstore Event,’ houstoncitybook.com, 9.7.22, illustration
‘Museum of East Texas presents a solo exhibition of Houston artist Sarah Fisher,’ artdaily.com, 8.18.22, illustrations
Glasstire Top Five, glasstire.com, 8.18.22, illustration
Fraze, Kayley, ‘Mirror, mirror: MET to present exhibition of Houston artist Sarah Fisher,’ Lufkin Daily News, p.1, 7A, 8.5.22, illustrations
Harker, Jessica, ‘Michelson Museum of Art opens new show “Decisions,”’ The Marshall News Messenger, 3.4.22, illustrations
Simms, Michael, ‘Robin Davidson: Mrs. Schmetterling Considers the Beautiful,’ voxpopulisphere.com, 3.1.22, illustration
‘Michelson Museum Shows ‘Decisions By Sarah Fisher,’ County Line Magazine, 2.21.22, illustration
Carls, Alice-Catherine, ‘Robin Davidson’s Mrs. Schmetterling, Quiet Revolutionary,’ World Literature Today, worldliteraturetoday.com, illustration
Emery, Mike, ‘Poet & Professor Robin Davidson Introduces Readers to ‘Mrs. Schmetterling,’ UHD News, news.uhd.edu, 12.2.21, illustration
Simms, Michael, ‘Robin Davidson: Mrs. Schmetterling Kneels in a Garden,’ voxpopulisphere.com, 11/15/21, illustration
Gipson, Amarie, ‘Very Artsy News: Local Artist Sarah Fisher is Making A Mark®,’ Houstonia Magazine, houstoniamag.com, 9.13.21, illustration
Anspon, Catherine D., ‘Saying Farewell to a Champion of Texas Art,’ PaperCity Magazine, March 2021, p. 23, illustration
Visit Houston, Featured Houston Artist, Facebook, 11.2.20, illustrations
Aviña, Michelle, ‘Untitled,’ print and online, PaperCity Magazine, papercity.com, May 2020, p. 39,41, illustrations Glentzer, Molly, ‘Art Review: Sarah Fisher’s unsentimental portraiture,’ print and online, Houston Chronicle, houstonchronicle.com, 11.14.19, p. D20, illustration
Anspon, Catherine D., ‘Portrait Rama,’ PaperCity Houston, November 2019, p. 82, illustration
Kooker, Cristina, ‘How art can be therapeutic, even if you’re a beginner,’ KHOU Great Day Houston, 10.30.19
Casparie, Sabine, ‘After Harvey,’ ARTHOUSTON, Spring/Summer 2019, p. 32-34, illustrations
Irerra, Alex, ‘Sarah Fisher: An Interview,’ thehoustonreview.com, 11.28.18, illustrations
Pinnick, Donna, ‘Lawndale Lending Library at Central: Yours, Mine, and Ours,’ HCC Edutube, television and online, edutube.hccs.edu, 11.16.18, on-camera and illustration
Magee, Patrick, ‘Statement Pieces: Words with Friends,’ print and online, HoustonCityBook, houstoncitybook.com, November 2018, pp. 16, 82, illustrations
Huete, Betsy, ‘Betsy Huete’s Big Show Top Ten of 2018,’ glasstire.com, 10.8.18, illustration
VisitHouston, ‘That was Harvey. This is Houston,’ September 2018, Texas Monthly, illustration
Tommaney, Susie, ‘Bourley, Fisher, Manalo and Said Take Top Honors in Lawndale’s ‘The Big Show,’ houstonpress.com, 9.18.18, illustration
Davis, Martha, ‘That was Harvey, This is Houston Comes to GRB,’ avenidahouston.com, 9.9.18, illustration
HoustonFirst, ‘Artist Work Honoring Volunteers on Display at George R. Brown,’ houstonfirst.com, 9.5.18, illustration
Wozny, Nancy, ‘Texas Lens: Resilience,’ artsandculturetx.com, 5.30.18, illustration
Kinney, Morgan, ‘This Airport Painting Shows the World Who Houston Is,” houstonia.com, 4.1.18, illustration
Merrill, Maria, ‘Being Seen/Vanity Dare,’ amazon.com, 5.17
Anspon, Catherine D., ‘Houston Woman’s Incredible Instagram Posts Land Her a Major Art Show: Getting Discovered Through Social Media,’ papercity.com, 3.4.17, illustrations
Glentzer, Molly, ‘Culture Scene Preview,’ print and online, Houston Chronicle, 2.16.17, p. D16, illustration
Bise, Michael, ‘Sarah Fisher and Bill Willis at Art Palace,’ glasstire.com, 1.9.17, illustrations

Education
2016 - 2018 MFAH Glassell School of Art BLOCK Advanced Studio Program
1986: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana