Alison Saar is a Los Angeles-based sculptor and mixed-media artist whose work has earned national and international recognition for its evocative explorations of identity, spirituality, and cultural memory. After earning her degree in art history from Scripps College, Saar developed a visual language that draws deeply from African, Caribbean, and Latin American folk art traditions. Her sculptures and installations often center on the African diaspora and Black female experience, resulting in powerful, layered narratives rendered in wood, metal, and found objects. Her work has been exhibited in major institutions across the country, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
In a recent milestone, Saar was selected by the International Olympic Committee and the City of Paris to create a permanent public sculpture in honor of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Her piece, Salon, now installed in the gardens of the Champs-Élysées, reflects the Olympic values of diversity, equality, and peace. “I am deeply honored to have been selected to create the Olympic sculpture,” Saar shared. “It is my hope that this work of art, a gift to the people and the city of Paris, will become a gathering space for the public to experience the spirit of friendship and interconnection across cultures and borders.” Saar’s work reflects the kind of creative inquiry and cultural engagement that a liberal arts education seeks to inspire, remaining thoughtful, resonant, and attuned to the complexities of the human experience.