Rachel Mathews-Landis joins the SAGE Community Arts Team as the new Program Coordinator in August, 2020. She earned her B.A. in Theatre with a focus on Costuming at the University of Alabama.
Rachel will help develop and carry out programs and services which provide opportunities for people to see and create art in Sheridan. She will also assist with day-to-day administrative tasks that are core to SAGE’s operations. You will usually find her at the desk in the Member Gallery.
What excites you most about joining the SAGE Team and local artist community?
I have always felt very comfortable around artists and the energy and creativity that they exude. Working with the SAGE team will give me the opportunity to work with long time artists, young budding artists, and with other “dabblers” like me and to learn from all of them. I have always found joy in helping others reach their potential and know that at SAGE I will be able to use both my artistic and administrative skills to help artists achieve that.
What is your "art story?" Do you consider yourself more of an artist, or more of an art-appreciator?
As a child in Malaysia, I remember spending many hours, dreaming, drawing, and coloring. I loved arranging my pencils following the color spectrum, and was always noting the colors of nature around me. However, in the subsequent years, I realized my art was always passable, but never good enough to get put on the “best art piece this week” board in high school. I then ventured into fashion design, but found out I was a better collaborator than an artist. And so I left art and fashion behind and worked with my local church, found a husband, became a missionary’s wife, and then a mom.
Then in 2009, my husband, Ryan, dragged me down to the basement of the Fine Arts building at the University of South Dakota, where he was doing his Masters Degree. I was then introduced to the amazing world of Costuming for Theatre. It was during the two years there that I found out I actually was an artist. I learned to draw characters and the clothing and accessories they would wear on stage. I learned how to research time periods, to collaborate with other artists like directors, actors, set designers, lighting designers, and found out that I loved it. My main medium at that time was watercolor.
Then at the University of Alabama, I was asked to choose a minor, and I chose Art. There, I discovered I could do more than just paint people and clothing. I learned to push my boundaries and tried all kinds of mediums. I also was able to be inspired by artists who did art that was not exactly like mine. I am both an art appreciator and an occasional artist!
If you are an artist, what mediums do you work in?
I have mostly worked with watercolors and inks, but currently I am working on painting on fabric and surface design.
How long have you been in the Sheridan-area? What are some of your favorite things to do in the area?
My husband Ryan, son Prakash, and I moved to Sheridan on the 4th of August 2019. We have thoroughly enjoyed the almost one year we have been here! We love hiking the trails in and around Sheridan and also around the Bighorns. I am an avid flower person and have been learning to identify the local flora on our hikes.
See the full list of SAGE Community Arts Staff & Board on our website: www.artinsheridan.com/about-us .
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