Born in 1956 in Laurel Canyon, a suburb of Los Angeles, CA, Alison Saar received her B.A. from Scripps College in Claremont, CA in 1978, then an M.F.A. from the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA in 1981. Though she is of African American, European, and Native American ancestry, Saar’s work is especially inspired by African American culture, history, and narratives.
Alison Saar (born February 5, 1956) is a Los Angeles, California based sculptor, mixed-media, and installation artist. Her artwork focuses on the African diaspora and black female identity and is influenced by African, Caribbean, and Latin American folk art and spirituality. Saar is well known for "transforming found objects to reflect themes of cultural and social identity, history, and religion." Saar credits her parents for her exposure to these metaphysical and spiritual practices. Her mother, Betye Saar (née Brown), is a collagist and assemblage artist and her father, Richard Saar, is a painter and art conservator. Saar followed in her parents footsteps along with her sisters, Lesley Saar, who is also an artist, despite wanting to get out of her parents shadow. She finds more gratification in making art than writing about it, as she found out after finishing a dual major in fine arts and art history.
Throughout her years as a practicing artist Saar has received achievement awards from institutions including the New York City Art Commission as well as the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
