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Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts

Sarah Smelser

Professor of Printmaking
Office
CVA Center For The Visual Arts 121
Office Hours
vary by semester and by appointment
Office Phone
(309) 438-8535office
phone
Email
ssmelse@ilstu.eduemail
Website
sarahsmelser.comwebsite
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • Selected Research

Biography

Sarah Smelser recevied a BA from University of California at Santa Cruz, an MA and an MFA from the University of Iowa. She exhibits her work extensively, nationally and internationally.

Current Courses

ART 394.001 Bachelor Of Fine Arts Seminar

ART 287.006 Independent Study

ART 245.001 Intaglio I

ART 351.001 Special Projects: Printmaking

ART 351.002 Special Projects: Printmaking

Teaching Interests & Areas

intaglio, relief, monotype/monoprint, collagraph

Research Interests & Areas

monotype, woodcut, collage

MFA Photography

University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

MA Printmaking

Uniersity of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

Bachelor of Arts Printmaking

University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA

Outstanding College Creative Activity Award

Illinois State University
2025

College of Fine Arts Service Award

2023

College of Fine Arts Service Award

Illinois State University
2022

Dean's Faculty Development Award

Illinois State University
2022

Grants and Contracts

Faculty/Staff Research and Travel Grant
Sarah Smelser.
Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts. October 2025 - October 2025
School of Art Faculty Development Grant,
Sarah Smelser.
Wonsool Kim School of Art. 2025
General Operating Support for Normal Editions Workshop program grant FY2021
Veda Rives Mae Rives Aukerman, Morgan G. Price, Sarah Smelser.
Illinois Arts Council Agency. October 16 2020 - August 31 2021
Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship
Sarah Smelser.
Ballinglen Arts Foundation. November 2015 - December 2015
“Color Woodcut Workshop”
Sarah Smelser.
College of Fine Arts. September 2015 - September 2015
“Residency at Ballinglen Arts Foundation (Ireland)”
Sarah Smelser.
Illinois State University. November 2015 - December 2015
"Water-Base Silkscreen Workshop"
Sarah Smelser.
Illinois State University. - July 2022

Performances and Exhibits

38th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
McNeese State University. March 2025 - April 2025
39th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
Heuser Art Gallery, Bradley University. January 2025 - March 2025
45th National Print Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
Artlink Contemporary Gallery. March 2025 - April 2025
60 Years of NIU Printmaking
Sarah Smelser.
Northern Illinois University Museum. 2025 - 2025
Artist lecture
Sarah Smelser.
Western Michigan University. February 2025 - February 2025
Atlanta Print Biennial
Sarah Smelser.
Kai Lin Art Gallery. June 2025 - July 2025
Bon a Tirer: An Exhibition of Contemporary Printmaking
Sarah Smelser.
Arts Council of Princeton. October 2025 - November 2025
CUT/FOLD/PRESS: National Paper Arts Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
Craft Alliance. February 2025 - March 2025
Cimarron National Works
Sarah Smelser.
Oklahoma State University Museum of Art,. June 2025 - July 2025
Expo Chicago: The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art
Sarah Smelser.
Manneken Press. April 2025 - April 2025
Hodophilia
Sarah Smelser.
Ink Shop Prinetmaking Cetner. August 2025 - October 2025
Impressions
Sarah Smelser.
Main Street Gallery. August 2025 - September 2025
Impressions and Exposures: A Hand Magazine Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
SPIVA Center for the Arts,. 2025 - 2025
Ink and Impressions
Sarah Smelser.
Housatonic Museum of Art. July 2025 - August 2025
International Fine Print Dealers’ Association (IFPDA) Print Fair
Sarah Smelser.
Manneken Press. March 2025 - March 2025
Lost and Found: Better Planet Packaging Day
Sarah Smelser.
Smurfit Westrock. April 2025 - April 2025
Monotype Guild of New England: 40 Years of Unique Prints, Sixth National Monotype/Monoprint Juried Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
The Art Complex Museum. April 2025 - June 2025
Printmaking as Placemaking
Sarah Smelser.
The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA). April 2025 - June 2025
Sarah Smelser: Sandia
Sarah Smelser.
artsy.net. November 2025 - April 2026
Sixty Square Inches XXI
Sarah Smelser.
Ringel Gallery, Purdue University. January 2025 - January 2025
Society of American Graphic Artists 3rd Annual Mini Gems Exhibition
Sarah Smelser.
SAGA Gallery. November 2025 - December 2025
Visiting Artist
Sarah Smelser.
Western Michigan University. February 2025 - February 2025
Wanderlust: The Art of Travel and Escapism
Sarah Smelser.
Blue Line Arts. July 2025 - August 2025
Winter Arts and Crafts Expo
Sarah Smelser.
Evanston Art Center. November 2025 - December 2025

Presentations

Artist Lecture
Sarah Smelser.
Monotype Guild of New England, online, October 23, 2026
Artist’s Lecture
Sarah Smelser.
, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, October 15, 2025
Not All Who Wander are Lost
Sarah Smelser.
Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA, July 20, 2025
Artist Lecture
Sarah Smelser.
Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, CO, June 15, 2025
artist talk
Sarah Smelser.
NA, Kalamazoo, February, 2025
Gallery Talk
Sarah Smelser.
Solo Exhibition: Defying the Laws, Chicago, IL, October, 2024
Residency
Sarah Smelser.
Remarque Print Workshop and Gallery, Albuquerque, May, 2024
Residency
Sarah Smelser.
Residency, Skopelos, Greece, June, 2023
Research Associate
Sarah Smelser.
Research Associate, Santa Cruz, CA, November, 2022
Visiting Artist
Sarah Smelser.
Visiting Artist, Milwaukee, WI, September, 2022
Visiting Artist
Sarah Smelser.
Visiting Artist, West Lafayette, IN, September, 2022
Artist Residency
Sarah Smelser.
Artist in Residence, Alburquerque, August, 2022
Visiting Artist
Sarah Smelser.
Visiting Artist, Bozeman, MT, April, 2022
Interview with Sarah Smelser
Sarah Smelser.
Interview, online, April, 2021