Ohio University Libraries unveils the Sara Gilfert Collection

Ohio University Libraries is pleased to announce the opening of the Sara Gilfert Collection, a newly processed archival resource celebrating the life and work of Southeast Ohio papermaker, fiber artist, educator and community arts leader Sara “Sally” Gilfert (1929–2024).

The collection was generously donated by Gilfert’s daughter, Susan Gilfert, with its processing and digitization made possible with support from Paper Circle, as well as the Ohio Arts Council. 

Sara Gilfert, BFA ‘70, MFA ‘76, a longtime Athens artist and instructor in OHIO’s School of Art + Design in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, was known for her sculptural works made with natural fibers, her pioneering papermaking practice and her deep commitment to arts education. Her career included an apprenticeship in Obara, Japan with master papermaker Andō Kazuhisa, leadership roles with the Dairy Barn Arts Center and Athens Tapestry Works, and the founding of Paper Circle, a Nelsonville nonprofit dedicated to papermaking and community arts.

The new archival collection features:

• Photographs and slides documenting her artwork, teaching, travels and studio practice,
• Course materials from Gilfert’s years teaching at Ohio University,
• Artifacts and ephemera from her papermaking studies in Japan, Myanmar and across the U.S.,
• Records from Paper Circle, including event flyers, news clippings and workshop documentation,
• Correspondence and exhibition materials from galleries that showcased her work.

Selections from the collection are now digitized and available online, offering a rare look into Gilfert’s artistic evolution and her lasting impact on the cultural life of Southeast Ohio.

The physical collection (finding aid) is housed in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections on the fifth floor of Alden Library, and available to view by appointment. 

For more information, please contact Manuscripts Archivist Greta Suiter.  

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The Sara Gilfert Collection is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.