Hannah Gaber Saletan

Sam Norgard | Dress Artist

Like Tibetan monks who create intricate sand paintings only to watch them blow away on the breeze, the SCAD Foundations professor remains serene about the dress forms she creates out of leaves and flowers.

“My art has moved into being part of nature, I’m learning to let go.” Always an “obsessive maker,” she grew up in a flower shop and designed women’s wear in New York before making the leap to full-time artist. Tunneling through a multitude of media from acrylics to bread (she once constructed a life-sized skirt out of bagels,) Sam continues to work with a familiar form:

“I see the dress as symbolic of women and their stories; it’s that thin layer between private and public.”

This summer she returned to Nova Scotia to style her favorite beach with seaweed and shells as a Presidential Fellow, seeking out polka-dots and paisley patterns in the flotsam and jetsam.

Web-exclusive tidbits:

*Sam is also known for her “over-the-top” jewelry creations that incorporate strong women figures such as Frida Kahlo. 

*She finally felt successful as an artist when she had dedicated space to do her work. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt not having to store everything under the bed.

*Her web site contains in-color photos of her many dresses, including the aforementioned bagel skirt.

~Jessica Leigh Lebos