golden hands

my journey to becoming an artist

Growing up, my family liked to say that I had “golden hands.”

Since the age of two, I’ve had a unique ability to draw and make things. In junior high school, a teacher encouraged me to do more with my art. This led me to take classes at the Arts and Crafts Society of Detroit, near the Art Museum and Art Institute.

In high school, I enrolled in more classes – this time at Cranbrook, a private high school that offered a graduate program in the arts. I went on to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, focusing on printmaking and lithography.

my journey to sacred art

I began creating sacred works when my path in fine art intersected with imagery from my Jewish heritage.

I discovered that my own background in Judaism was not sufficiently developed to feel confident in the letters and imagery I was using. Knowing this, I began to study more deeply to ensure the images I created were based on tradition and the words were spelled correctly in Hebrew.

At the same time, Fred and I were raising our children in a Jewish home with Jewish traditions. I knew that our daughter would one day have a bat mitzvah which, at the time, was a new custom. With this in mind, I created special imagery for her celebration, as well as a hat that I knew would be used in the synagogue.

I also created a Torah cover to honor my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. That cover was my first ceremonial piece to be displayed in a public setting, which set me on the path to create more installations that combined the artistic and the spiritual.

major exhibitions

Here are some highlights from Sara Harwin’s major exhibitions

Conference Exhibitor

Here are some highlights from Sara Harwin’s conference exhibits

Commissions

Highlights from Commissions of Sara Harwin’s work. 

honors

Here are some highlights from honors Sara Harwin has received for her work.

Buy Sara’s book: Illuminated Letters: Threads of Connection on Amazon