Sarah Williams (Missouri State) will lecture as part of the Studio Arts Visiting Artist Lecture Series.

Sarah Williams was raised in Brookfield, Missouri, a rural Midwestern town. These roots have influenced her representations of small towns and vernacular architecture. Her intimate, tightly-painted works often portray buildings such as gas stations, bungalows and the environments surrounding these structures. These tableaux of American life, while unremarkable in themselves, are elevated by Williams’ adept handling of light and mood. Through her approach, the everyday becomes a fascinating enigma. After earning a BFA from William Woods University in Missouri, Williams completed her MFA in Drawing and Painting at the University of North Texas in 2009.  She now serves as Professor of Painting at Missouri State University in Springfield.

Williams’s artwork has been shown in institutions throughout the United States, including solo exhibitions at Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, Wyoming; the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas; Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, Texas; and the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph, Missouri. Her work is included in numerous institutional collections including the Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas; Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas; Grace Museum, Abilene, Texas; Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, Washington; Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, Wyoming; Old Jail Art Center, Albany, Texas; University of North Texas, Denton, Texas; and William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri.