“The Truth About Monsters...” The Art of Sarah Kargol

The Dacotah Prairie Museum proudly presented a new multi-media exhibit and an artist’s reception in honor of Aberdeen artist, Sarah Kargol.

Sarah Kargol was raised in Iowa and now resides in Aberdeen with her husband Matt and their four sons. Sarah is busily engaged in raising her sons and their daily antics, speech and curiosity all drive her creativity. “My most creative hours of the day are when the boys are in bed at night and I have some quiet, personal space,” says Sarah. “The boys love to wake up to see what new creations have been born in the night.”

Kargol’s artwork has been greatly influenced by several significant people in her life. Her mother worked as a freelance artist and illustrator and as a seamstress. She instilled the enjoyment of sewing as well as hunting the local thrift shops for unique treasures. Sarah was also close to her grandfather who was an accomplished watercolor artist. She grew up listening to stories her grandfather would tell about his journeys and experiences in World War II, attending art school, and meeting his wife. From them, Sarah inherited a love of the creative process and an understanding how life experiences make us who we are.

In search of something to make her children for Christmas one year, Sarah had the idea to take some of their drawings and turn them into three-dimensional stuffed creatures. Having grown up with a mother who was a seamstress, sewing seemed a natural solution. Because of Sarah’s love of great thrift store finds, she immediately knew what sort of fabric she would use for these gifts; old salvaged suits, flannels shirts and groovy polyester pants. She used felt and buttons for the eyes and teeth.

The “creatures” that were created by her children on paper were now actual things they could hold. They were a hit and Sarah’s wheels began to turn. She drew up her crew of monsters and began sewing. Her creations landed on small hard board canvases and that was just the beginning. Since then, Kargol’s work has evolved into more complex ideas. Monsters are a universal subject matter that allows the viewer to place themselves safely into the situations being depicted in the work. All of us have one monster- like quality or another. Her monsters seem non-threatening yet cynical.

Thirty-three of Sarah Kargol’s multi-media works were on exhibit in this display. A busy and prolific artist, Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts degree form the University of Northern Iowa, and has since been showing and selling her work. She has attended 15 major art festivals and solo showings in just the past two years in such places as Oskaloosa and Des Moines, Iowa; Fargo, North Dakota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Chicago, Illinois. Her next scheduled festival involves a trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the Dogwood Festival in April, 2008.

For information on past exhibits in the Lamont Gallery, please click here.