I make art out of compulsion, curiosity, and my love of process. I learn through the act of making, and this passion for discovery is integral to who I am. The things I make often speak for me. Art allows me to be in places and with people and, hopefully, to talk across space and time. My work is an opportunity to know materials and to develop mastery.
Sara Tabbert is a printmaker and mixed media artist from Fairbanks, Alaska. With an MFA in printmaking from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, her love of woodblock printing has led to the creation of carved, painted wooden panels. In addition to smaller work, Tabbert’s large-scale public art commissions can be found throughout Alaska. Her work is housed in public collections through the state and far beyond. In early 2020, the Alaska State Museum presented a solo exhibit of her recent work.
Tabbert has been awarded grants from the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. In addition to residencies in the US, Canada, Argentina, and Italy, Tabbert has been an artist in residence through the National Park Service in Denali, Zion, Isle Royale, the Chilkoot Trail, and Acadia National Park. She has been selected as a 2024 resident fellow in the Windgate ITE program at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia.
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Sharing art with other people is one of Tabbert’s priorities. She has worked actively as a teaching artist with schools throughout Alaska, and also leads workshops for adults. When not in the studio she enjoys skiing and hiking with her dogs.
Education
1992 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
1997 Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Recent Commissions
2023 Unalaska Public Library, Unalaska, AK
2021 Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Fairbanks, AK
2020 Rasmuson Foundation, Anchorage, AK
2019 University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Engineering, Learning, and Innovation Facility, AK
2018 Spruce Tree Montessori, Fairbanks, AK
2017 Ryan Middle School, Fairbanks, AK
2016 Kenai Peninsula College, Kenai, AK
2015 Ornament for Capitol Christmas Tree, Alaska Geographic/Chugach National Forest
Pathways High School, Palmer, AK
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Recent Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2023 Give Way, Well Street Art Company, Fairbanks, Alaska
Shift, VENUE, Fairbanks, Alaska
2022 Fray, Cyrano’s Theatre Company, Anchorage, Alaska
2021 Signs of Life, Bunnell Street Arts Center, Homer, AK
2020 Lowlands, Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK
2018 20 Years of Woodcuts, Bear Gallery, Fairbanks, AK
2017 Subject and Object, Alaska House Gallery, Fairbanks, AK
Passing Through, Bunnell Street Art Center, Homer, AK (with Carla Potter)
Material Meaning, Constellation Studios, Lincoln, NE (with Kathy Puzey)
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Select Grants and Awards
2021 Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, Adaptation and Innovation grant, helped fund tuition for woodworking classes
2019 Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award Artist Fellowship, unrestricted grant
2017 Alaska State Council on the Arts Career Opportunity Grant, funded a residency at Taft-Nicholson Center, MT
2013 Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award Project Grant, funded a collaborative art and woodworking project
2012 Alaska State Council on the Arts Career Opportunity Grant, funded travel for Park Service residency on Isle Royale
2010 Alaska State Council on the Arts Career Opportunity Grant, funded a residency in Buenos Aires, Argentina
2006 Alaska State Council on the Arts Career Opportunity Grant, funded a printmaking residency in Florence, Italy
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Collections
Human History Museum, Zion National Park, UT // Valdez Museum and Historical Archives, Valdez, AK // Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR // Isle Royale National Park, MI // Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK // Denali National Park and Preserve, AK // Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK // Central Peninsula Hospital, Soldotna, AK // Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA // State Ferry M/V Fairweather, Alaska State Marine Highway System // University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK // State of Alaska Art Bank, Anchorage, AK // Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE