I am an interpreter of stories found in slate stone, unearthed from the forest floors of central New England.

The woods, hills and reservoirs of my expanded backyard of western Massachusetts have become my sanctuary, a place to explore and to sleep, to observe and fuel my creative process. Around a flickering campfire, a midnight swim – the night skies open up wide when I allow my eyes to adjust, and then a familiar ache knowing I can’t take it home.

My artist studio is a dedication to home. As a safe, well-lit dwelling, but also a private space nestled in this planet, tucked away in our galaxy. It is a place of my own to explore the impossible – the delicate work and play balance of creating and producing art. When I unload the pockets of memories – branches and twigs and moonlight and stones – my sense of play begins, and I transform slate and wood from these fleeting memories, the sunset hikes of dreams. 

The bones of my painting surfaces are gathered from across the landscape, and they become my bones. Digging into the hillsides by slate roofed farmhouses, picking through the ruins of crumbling chapels, gifts of shards cleaned out of old mill buildings – all from ancient spaces, all seeking repurpose. My early paintings were kept minimal, not wanting to interrupt the natural beauty of the slate itself. As I allowed my palette to bloom, I embraced the unique shapes in each shard, excited to discover the hidden landscape in each piece.

Sarah Adam

sarah@madsahara.com
Greenfield, MA 01301
madsahara.com

Education

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration, Magna Cum Laude, 2004. Academic Achievement Honors for Visual Design, 2003

Mount Wachusett Community College
Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts, 2001. Dean’s List Honors, 1999 – 2001

Skills

Graphic Arts: Infographics | Photography | Digital Painting (Procreate) | Traditional Media (watercolor, acrylic, pen & ink, mixed media)
Adobe Creative Cloud:
Photoshop | InDesign | Illustrator | Acrobat | Bridge | Premiere Pro
Microsoft Office 365: Word | Excel | PowerPoint | Publisher | One Drive | Outlook | Teams
Web: WordPress | Trello | JotForm | Email Marketing | Social Media Content Management
Print Production: Prepress for 4-Color Offset, Digital & Wide format printers | Computer-to-Plate Processing | Cutting | Folding | Addressing | Machine Insert | Shipping

Exhibitions

New England Dreamscapes: New paintings on Slate, The LAVA Center, Greenfield, MA 2025

FOWARD, Artspace Gallery, Greenfield, MA 2025

StART on the Street/StART at the Station, Worcester, MA 2013 – 2024

Lowbrow Craft Fair, Northampton, MA 2024

Local Art Gallery’s Annual Holiday Arts Market, Amherst, MA 2024

Greenfield Holiday Pop-Up, Greenfield, MA 2018, 2021, 2023

JUNO, Future Lab(s) Gallery, North Adams, MA 2023

A Little Bazaar, Mill No. 5, Lowell, MA 2017 – 2021

10×10 Real Art Party, Berkshire Art Museum, Pittsfield, MA 2021

Small Works Show, Sawmill River Arts, Montague, MA 2016, 2020

The Hive Holiday Makers Market, Greenfield, MA 2019

Trees Trees Trees, LOCAL Gallery, Easthampton, MA 2019

Featured Artist, Amherst Arts Night Plus, Ramboll, Amherst MA 2019

Holiday Art Pop-Up, Madsahara Art & Design Studio, Greenfield, MA 2019

Al Fresco Duet, Artspace Gallery, Greenfield, MA 2018

Quabbin Walk, The Burnett Gallery, Jones Library, Amherst, MA 2017

Community Fundraisers

Stone Soup Cafe Harvest Supper & Art Auction Fundraiser, Greenfield, MA 2024

Looky Here Gala & Fundraiser, Greenfield, MA 2024

Graphic Design

Franklin County Community Meals Program, Greenfield, MA. Graphic design, events, social media, 2012 – 2024

Five Maples Development Communications, Putney VT. Graphic Design, 2016-2017. Production Team Member, 2022-2024

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Chicopee, MA. Marketing & Design Coordinator, 2018 – 2021

Pathways For Change, Worcester, MA. Logo rebrand and style guide, web graphics, 2020

Mondo Mediaworks, Brattleboro, VT. Illustration, whiteboard animation, 2012 – 2020

Community Action Pioneer Valley, Greenfield, MA. Web graphics and promotional collateral for Look 4 Help program launch, 2019

Howard Printing Inc., Brattleboro, VT. Graphic Design/Prepress/Wide Format Specialist, 2016 – 2018

Brattleboro Food Co-op, Brattleboro, VT. Graphic Designer, 2011 – 2015

The Commons, Vermont Independent Media, Brattleboro, VT. Graphic Designer, 2011 – 2014

Juried Projects

Children’s Room glass appliqué wall mural, Design chosen by Greenfield Public Library Art Committee, 2023 (installation pending)

End-of-year fundraiser, Wrapping Paper Edition Design chosen by Montague Reporter, 2023

Public Art – City of Greenfield, MA Electrical box murals, Painted Bee Sculpture, Cultural Crossroads light pole banner art, 2020 – 2023

Winning Poster Design – Great Falls Farmers Market Great Falls Farmers Market, Turners Falls, MA 2016

NEPM Art Mug National Public Radio Western New England, 2008

Affiliations

Board of Directors, Franklin County Community Meals Program, 2018 – 2023, present

Art Studio Volunteer, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 2007- 2009