Sandy Miller Sasso

Sasso was born and raised on a large cattle farm in the Piedmont of North Carolina with frequent visits to see family in the Appalachian mountains, two hours away. This experience of living amidst wide sweeps of cultivated land factored prominently in her mature work. She attended undergrad school at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she got both a BFA in Painting & Printmaking and a degree in Art Education with a public school teacher’s certificate. Sasso then lived in the NC mountains near her ancestral home for a couple of years before moving to Murray KY in 1980 to attend Murray State University for a MA in painting.

Though it was not the plan, Sasso stayed in Murray, married artist Paul Sasso, built a home and studio, and raised daughter Maggie, also an artist. She continued to make art without interruption through the years of living on grants, teaching at MSU and at craft schools like Penland and Arrowmont, and eventually teaching public school for 21 years. Sasso retired from teaching in 2015 and now devotes her time to making art, gardening, and volunteering in her community.

April 22, 2021 interview with Todd Birdsong at the Clemmons Center on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah KY