Ann Arbor Art Center Aquarium Gallery Artist Profile: Sarah Innes
Profile courtesy of Ann Arbor Art Center (A2AC)
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ann Arbor-born Sarah Innes earned a BFA in Painting from the University of Michigan School of Art before teaching at Cambridge, MA’s Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School, and NYC’s Bank Street School and City and Country School. After moving back to Ann Arbor, Sarah earned an MFA in Painting and Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Michigan.
Employment history includes the Detroit Institute of Art as part of Museum Studies, a job locating and cataloging the Early American Art Collection at the Henry Ford Museum, assistant curator and an adjunct professor at Penny Stamps School of Art, and teaching at Washtenaw Community College.
These days, Sarah works primarily out of her studio in Ann Arbor. The artist accepts commissions and special projects in addition to doing personal work.
FROM THE ARTIST
“In pre-covid life, I walked weekly with a group of friends followed by coffee at one of our homes. During coffee, I drew them as they talked, which resulted in my series “Coffee Talk” (see my website under Series: sarahinnes.net). After the virus hit, coffee was moved to zoom. I continued my habit of drawing, which became the basis for “Zoom Sketches.” The Aquarium Gallery contains some of those initial sketches and subsequent pochoir prints and stencils.
Much of my artwork reflects my daily life and surroundings. I prefer to work from life, but we have all learned to live with virtual life during the past two years. During that time, I have attended zoom meetings, zoom social events and taught zoom drawing classes. I was commissioned to create zoom profile portraits for the principals and employees of Andra Birkerts Design (andrabdesign.com).
If there is a big theme in my work, it is that sometimes it’s the small acts that keep us going and connected. And thank goodness for friends.”
Her show at the A2AC Aquarium Gallery runs through Feb. 23.
