About

Portrait of Sarah Saulson

I started weaving as a child in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have pursued fiber arts as my full-time profession for more than three decades. For many years I sold my handwoven fashion accessories at juried craft shows, including ACC shows and retail craft shows in the northeast and mid-Atlantic.

I attended art school at Syracuse University and received an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Wellesley College. This has fueled my interest in ethnic textiles and processes and has resulted in the privilege of working with and supporting contemporary weavers in Ghana, Guatemala, and India.

Teaching in a variety of contexts has become an important part of my weaving life. In addition to working with adult learners throughout the country and children in local schools, I taught weaving and textiles for many years at Syracuse University. I now live in Providence, Rhode Island, and my fiber arts practice is based at Hope Artiste Village, a historic building originally housing a weaving mill. My students of all ages continue to energize me and educate me.

Please contact me for more information about prayer shawls, workshops, lectures (both in-person and via Zoom), or residencies. I'd love to hear from you!

Sarah Saulson
315-317-6165

Curriculum Vitae

  • Professional Experience

  • 1994–Present. Dealer for Schacht Spindle Company.
  • 2021–Present. Floor Loom Weaving Teacher. Rhode Island Weaving Center, Wakefield, Rhode Island
  • 2002–2019. Instructor of Weaving. Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts.
  • 1988–Present. Professional Handweaver. Design and produce hand-dyed, hand-woven fabrics that are fabricated into wearable objects. Jury and curate fiber exhibits and craft shows including New York State Fair. Participate in juried retail craft shows and show my work in galleries and exhibits.
  • 1991–Present. Workshop Leader. Teach workshops and lecture at weaving conferences and weavers' guilds. Teach intermediate weaving students privately.
  • Artist Residencies

  • 2007–2017. Montessori School of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York
  • 10/08–4/09. Van Duyn Elementary School, Syracuse, New York
  • 9/4/2002. Solace Elementary School, Syracuse, New York
  • 1/3/1999. Salem-Hyde Elementary School, Syracuse, New York
  • 4/9/1996. Willow Field Elementary School, Liverpool, New York
  • Education

  • 1990–1996. Syracuse University, School of Art and Design. Part-time student.
  • 1998, 1991. Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Workshops with Lia Cook, Jack Lenor Larsen.
  • 1976. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. B.A. with Honors. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
  • Exhibits

  • 2023 “New Directions in Fiber Arts,” Bristol Museum of Art, Bristol, Rhode Island.
  • 2022 “Interpreting Change,” Fuller Museum of Craft, Brockton, Massachusetts.
  • 2016 “Kindred Beasts: 2016 Everson Biennial.”
  • 2016 “Small Expressions,” Milwaukee Musuem of Art.
  • 2012 “Dream Weavers,” Group Show, Edgewood Gallery, featuring work from Relics of the 20th Century series.
  • 2012 “HiFi D2,” Group Show, Cazenovia College Art Gallery.
  • 2011 “For the Love of Fiber,” 65th Aniversary Exhibit by the Weavers Guild of Rochester. I served as Special Awards Juror, and the exhibit featured a retrospective of my work.
  • 2010 “Contemporary Interpretation of Japanese Arts,” Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell, Massachusetts.
  • 2009 Syracuse University School of Art Faculty Show.
  • 2007 Syracuse University School of Art Faculty Show.
  • 2002 “Weaving Metaphors,” three-person invitational fiber show, Rome Art Center, Rome, New York.
  • 2000 “Woven Wings,” one-person installation sponsored by Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • 1998 “Windows into Weaving,” Museum of American Handweaving, Clayton, New York. Work supported with a Special Opportunities Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts.
  • 1999 “Craft Artists of Onondaga County,” Artist’s Showcase at the Civic Center, Cultural Resources Council.
  • 1999 “Made In New York: Fine Crafts by New York Artists,” Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, New York.
  • 1998 “Made In New York: Fine Crafts by New York Artists,” Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, New York.
  • 1997 “New York State Contemporary Crafts,” New York State Museum, Albany, New York.
  • 1996 “It's A Wrap,” Point of View Gallery, Williamsville, New York.
  • 1995 “Pushing the Limits: Contemporary Weaving,” National invitational show, Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, New York. Co-curator.
  • Selected Juried Craft Shows

  • 1988–1990 A.C.E./West Springfield Craft Fair, West Springfield, Massachusetts.
  • 1996, 1998, 1999 Berkshire Craft Show, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
  • 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 Crafts Park Avenue, New York, NY
  • 1995–2006 Paradise City Arts Festival, Northampton, Massachusetts
  • Publications

  • 2015 Included in Summer & Winter: 11 Projects on 4 & 8 Shafts, published by Interweave Press, e-book.
  • 2014 Included in Best of Handwoven Color, published by Interweave Press, e-book.
  • 2012 Included in Weaving Lives at 65, published by the Weavers Guild of Rochester
  • 1999—2007 Contributing Editor to Handwoven Magazine. Author of “Now We Are Eight” column. Designed and wove projects and wrote accompanying articles.
  • 2004 Included in Design Book Seven, published by Lark Books.
  • 1992 Weaving illustration in Mosaic Magazine (Official publication of the National Science Foundation).
  • 1991 Original designs in A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, published by Interweave Press.
  • 1990 “At the Window,” Handwoven Magazine.
  • 1988 “Terrific Table Toppers,” Handwoven Magazine.
  • Presentations (Invited Speaker and/or Workshop Leader)

  • 1990–present
  • Madison Weavers Guild (WI)
  • Mayan Hands (Guatemala)
  • Mid Atlantic Fibers Association (MAFA)
  • Connecticut Weavers Guild
  • Mid-Hudson Weavers Guild (NY)
  • Mohawk-Hudson Weavers Guild (NY)
  • Susquehanna Spinners & Weavers (PA)
  • Weavers Roundtable (MD)
  • Peter’s Valley Craft Center
  • Convergence
  • New England Weavers Seminar
  • Rhode Island Weavers Guild
  • Boulder Weaver's Guild
  • Evening Weaver's Guild of Boulder
  • Denver Weaver's Guild
  • Foothills Weavers Guild (NY)
  • Thousand Islands Arts Center, home of the Handweaving Museum (NY)
  • Black Sheep Weavers Guild (MI)
  • Weavers Guild of New York City
  • Chimneyville Handweavers (MS)
  • New Orleans Weavers Guild
  • Bayou Yarn Benders (LA)
  • Weavers Guild of Acadiana (LA)
  • Greater Lansing Weavers Guild (MI)
  • Weavers Guild of Midland (MI)
  • Rochester (NY) Weavers Guild
  • Weavers Guild of Boston
  • School of Architecture, Syracuse University
  • Michigan League of Handweavers
  • Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Guild (MI)
  • Connecticut Handweavers Guild
  • Eastern Great Lakes Fiber Conference
  • Pioneer Valley Weavers‘ Guild (MA)
  • Weavers Guild of Orlando
  • Weavers of Philadelphia
  • Triangle Weavers Guild (NC)
  • Colorado Weavers Day
  • Francis Irwin Weavers Guild (NJ)