As an Iranian painter, my work is a search for selfhood shaped by memory, displacement, and resilience. Growing up within rigid cultural expectations while holding onto an inner sense of freedom has defined both my life and my artistic language. My practice is rooted in feminist thought and guided by an enduring desire to reclaim agency over stories that have been silenced or distorted. I use domestic spaces as emotional architecture; rooms, walls, and thresholds become psychological sites where intimacy and oppression coexist, where tenderness and fear inhabit the same breath.

Persian motifs, carpets, textiles, and ornamental patterns are not mere symbols of heritage but vessels of meaning. They carry the tension between beauty and danger, concealment and revelation. Their repetition mirrors the cyclical nature of women’s endurance under patriarchy, while their intricacy holds the possibility of transformation. Through layered compositions, fragmented figures, and the interplay of light and shadow, I seek to visualize the invisible burdens women carry: the weight of history, the ache of silence, and the quiet rebellion that glows beneath it.

Though grounded in Iranian women’s lived realities, my work extends beyond geography. It speaks to the universal condition of becoming; the unfinished self suspended between who we were told to be and who we are becoming. I resist narratives of victimhood, instead portraying women as figures of light, keepers of memory, and carriers of defiance.

My practice is an act of reclamation, a way of translating inherited silence into visual language. Through painting, I rebuild a space where complexity is allowed, where women’s stories are seen in their fullness: fierce, fragile, luminous. I paint as a witness to the endurance of those who persist, and as a participant in the ongoing work of redefining freedom through the intimate, the personal, and the collective.

CV

Email: sarah.valinezhad@gmail.com | svalinezhad@umassd.edu. | Phone: (508) 863-6637                   

EDUCATION

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth — MFA in Illustration (2023 – Present), GPA: 4.0

Tehran University of Art — BFA in Visual Communication (2022), GPA: 3.8

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS / TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Associate Instructor(2024 – present)

Courses taught (studio, 6 hrs/week):

• 2D Form and Space – Foundation studio exploring composition, value, texture, and mixed-media drawing.

• Digital Essentials – Introduction to Photoshop and Illustrator for conceptual and narrative design projects.

Teaching Assistant (2023 – 2024)

Supported classroom instruction, critiques, and technical demonstrations across the foundation level courses.

Instructor, New Bedford Art Museum – Summer Camp (2024)

Designed and led creative workshops such as “Paper Puppet Making” and “Texture Town” for children ages 5–8.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth — New Students & Family Programs Assistant, Orientation

Leadership (2024)

Star Gallery, New Bedford — Gallery Sitter (2024)

Oversaw the exhibition space, engaged with visitors, and provided information about the artwork.

Ensured the safety and presentation of artworks during gallery hours.

Jaleb Design Agency — Illustrator / Art Director (2021 – 2023)

Badkoobe Advertising Agency — Illustrator (2020 – 2021)

Freelance Illustrator / Graphic Designer (2020 – Present) — Clients include Kayhan Kalhor & Kiya

Tabassian Concerts, Elite Events Hub, Shaylin Meson, Elara Cookie Store, Farmand, Snapp,

Digikala, Takhfifan, Pars Schwan, and Rapido.

ACHIEVEMENTS & PROJECTS:

Being Seen: Celebrating Pride in the SouthCoast – DATMA (Project with Liz Collins): Collaboration with design, fabrication, and installation team for DATMA’s “Share Your Pride” public art initiative. Contributed to concept design, material development, and installation for large-scale textile works on New Bedford City Hall and surrounding buildings. Exhibited at Gallery X and CVPA Gallery (2024–2025).

Harbor of Hope – New Bedford Resilience Project (2023): Puppet and graphic designer for CVPA’s

“Envision Resilience” event.

Launched Multiple Trending Social/Commercial Campaigns:

Food Waste Campaign for Snapp Food: 6 animations, teasing banners, posters, and social content.

Chocolate Smile Campaign for Farmand: Designed an Instagram Reels game and promotions for World Chocolate Day.

Cashback campaign for Takhfifan: Animations, social content design, and promotions.

The Cripple of Inishmaan Animated Film: Collaboration with Maziyar Shahcheragh, designing

characters, backgrounds, and over 20 HD frames.

Collaboration with Notable Iranian Brands: Designed campaigns for Farmand, Mapna, Snapp, Takhfifan, Pak, Digikala, and Rapido.

14th Rank National Entrance Exam among 64,000 participants.

RESIDENCIES

New Bedford Art Museum - Artist-in-Residence (2025)

Producing a body of work to exhibit at the Art Museum in September 2025, Teaching classes and leading summer art program, leading exhibition tours, Visitor services duties including monitoring the admissions desk, event assistance at Enchanted Evenings, and AHA!

AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Teaching Fellowship – Full Scholarship, UMass Dartmouth (2024–2026)

Teaching Assistantship – Full Scholarship, UMass Dartmouth (2023–2024)

Merit – 3×3 International Illustration Magazine Annual No. 22 (2025)

Honorable Mention – Graphis New Talent Annual (2024)

Full Scholarship – Tehran University of Art

EXHIBITIONS:

Solo Exhibition:

In the Garden of the Hunter – New Bedford Art Museum (2025)

Group Exhibitions:

Art Takes Flight (Peninsula Art League 23rd National Fine Art Show) – Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum, WA (2025)

Kit Gilbert Juried Show – Gilbert Center, Ruston, LA (2025)

Unfinished Woman Exhibition – Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Yarmouth, MA (2025)

Art Current Exhibition – Kettle Black Gallery, New Bedford, MA (2025)

Through Eyes of a Child Exhibition – Culturally Arts Collective (Virtual Exhibition) (2025)

Glimpse Exhibition – 65 Gallery, William St, New Bedford, MA (2024)

Echoes of Home Exhibition – Star Gallery, New Bedford, MA (2024)

Emerging Artist Exhibition – Art Collide (Online Exhibition) (2024)

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE & LEADERSHIP

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Orientation Leadership Member, New Students & Family Programs (2024)

Supported university-wide orientation and family programming; coordinated session logistics, student communication, and volunteer management.

Graduate Student Representative, College of Visual & Performing Arts (2024–Present)

Participated in departmental planning and peer mentorship initiatives.

New Bedford Art Museum

Community Engagement & Education Support (2024–2025)

Led public art workshops and visitor engagement during museum events including AHA! Nights and Enchanted Evenings.

DATMA – Design Art Technology Massachusetts

Public Art Installation Team Member for “Share Your Pride” (2024)

Collaborated with artist Liz Collins and DATMA’s design/fabrication team on public installations displayed on New Bedford City Hall and regional galleries.

PUBLICATIONS & PRESS

3×3 International Illustration Magazine Annual No. 22 (2025) view

Art Takes Flight - Peninsula Art League’s 23rd National Fine Art Show  View

253 Lifestyle Magazine - pages 34-35 View

Gig Harbor Living Local (November Digital issues )- pages 48-49 View

Culturally Arts Collective Catalog –Through Eyes of a Child (2025) View

DATMA – “Share Your Pride” Project: https://datma.org/callforart/pride/

Graphis New Talent Annual (2024) View online

Envision Resilience: A Harbor of Hope A Harbor of Hope Imagined by CVPA

South Coast Today – “Students Run Gallery Downtown” (2024); 

New Bedford Light – “What’s Next for UMass Dartmouth Arts?” (2024) 

Skills

Drawing & Painting – Traditional and digital techniques, figure drawing, composition, 2D Design

Digital & Traditional Illustration – Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, watercolor, gouache, Oil, Acrylic

Graphic Design – Branding, visual identity, typography, layout & poster design

Teaching & Workshop Facilitation – Lesson planning, critique methods, classroom management

Languages – English, Persian, Turkish