Visiting Assistant Professor Appointment

University of Notre Dame has appointed me a Visiting Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design position. I will be teaching two courses: Intro to Visual Communication Design and Typography.

Adjunct Assistant Professor Appointment

I was recently appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design at the University of Notre Dame!

Go Irish!

Presenting motion design paper in Dublin, Ireland

Won Walter Beardsley Award!

My thesis work, The Princess & The Beast, has been awarded the Walter Beardsley Award for Best in Show and artistic excellence by the Director of the Snite Museum of Art. Walter Beardsley was head of Miles Laboratories, Elkhart, manufacturer of such well-known products as Alka-Seltzer, Flintstone Vitamins, and Bactine. Beardsley gave the Snite Museum Modern artworks such as the Georgia O’Keeffe painting that is on view within the Walter R. Beardsley Gallery. He also provided the Snite Museum with an endowment, which, among other activities, funds the Beardsley Award.

The Graduate School of Notre Dame published a full write-up about my work and the award; excerpts below:

“The Princess & The Beast juxtaposes folklore, fact, and falsehood, and the ways in which it underscores the mutability of time, perception, and physical reality. Most importantly, the project forces viewers to reconsider their understanding of Native American history within our community.”

— Chuck Loving, Director of the Snite Museum

And from Graduate School Media Specialist, Evan Bryson:

The installation is comprised of the abstract and the concrete: stories and reminiscences, bones and books, posters and video. There are immediate take-aways (a bold image of a fish fin) and more subtle entries (a booklet).

The whimsical commingles with the dreadful in The Princess & The Beast. Immediately striking is Martin’s sculpture of the mishepishu (“the beast”), a half-lynx, half-fish cryptid believed by some members of the Pokagon band of the Potawatomi tribe and some residents of St. Joseph County to inhabit the waters of the St. Joseph River. Constructed of bones and wire, etched Plexiglass and ink, the creature is as layered as the voices that elsewhere in Martin’s installation recall the many legends about its existence.

— Evan Bryson, Marketing and Communications Specialist

Find the full article here.

Snite Features Thesis Work

Along with the other five graduating members of the MFA class of 2015, my thesis work is now featured by the Snite Museum of Art on their website: here. Go check it out, or visit my portfolio page here to see more. 

Exhibition: the Birdsell Mansion

Presenting at "Gender & Childhood" Conference

The University of Notre Dame's Gender Studies Program has invited me to present at their December conference, Fun with Dick and Jane: Gender and Childhood. On Friday, December 5th at 5pm, I will present selections from the artist's book, The Song of the Sea Demon, alongside artists Orlando Menes and Anne Garcia Romero during the Creative Salon.

The conference is interested in questions of gender and childhood, ranging from issues around boys wearing princess costumes to school; to Disney princess culture; to pre-teen children coming out as gay, lesbian, and queer; to toy companies marketing toys by gender, and more. Interdisciplinary scholarship from media studies, literature, history, anthropology, biology, architecture, philosophy, design, art history, sociology, and education will present papers and creative works. 

Panelist for Research Advisory Council

Write-up available here.

The Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame has invited me to be a panelist for their Graduate Studies and Research Advisory Council, which takes place in September. I will be presenting my research on behalf of the University in Indianapolis. If you are in the Indianapolis area, please stop by!

Live Interview for ND Day 2014

The Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame interviewed me for Notre Dame Day: A Global Celebration. The live interview focused on my research over the past year and a half at Notre Dame and aired at 10pm, on Day 2 of Notre Dame Day.

Interview on WNIT Public Television

Booked on WNIT Public Television's segment, entitled Experience Michiana, I was interviewed about my experience partnering with the Snite Museum of Art for "High School Art Day." In conjunction with the education program at the Museum, and as part of the Department of Art, Art History & Design at Notre Dame, I taught principles of design to high school students, encouraging understanding of complex content through collaboration, critical thinking, and visual communication. The interview was in part an opportunity to update the community on the school's programs, and also promote the event.

1ST PLACE — Graduate Student Union & Postdoctoral Scholars Research Symposium

My work, Bad Things Happen, won First Place at the Graduate Student Union & Office of Postdoctoral Scholars Research Symposium in the category of the Humanities. 

MFA or BUST: 2nd Year MFA Show

My work, The Song of the Sea Demon, will show in the upcoming 2nd year MFA exhibition, MFA or BUST. The Department of Art, Art History & Design of the University of Notre Dame will host the show in the Isis Gallery of O’Shaughnessy Hall. The show runs from February 27 - March 21.

The Opening Reception will be Thursday, February 27th 5-7pm.

Nanovic Institute Student Spotlight

The University of Notre Dame's Nanovic Institute for European Studies has featured me in their student spotlight; read more here!

“Sarah Martin is an MFA candidate in Art, Art History, and Design, with a concentration in visual communication design. The Nanovic Institute awarded Sarah a Graduate Professional Development Grant to attend the 2nd Global Conference: The Graphic Novel, sponsored by Inter-Disciplinary.Net’s At the Interface hub. Sarah recently wrote about her experience:”

— Nanovic Insitute for European Studies