Lecturer Sarah Fox is one of those fortunate people who knew from a young age what she wanted to do for a living.
Originally from Houston, Fox grew up surrounded by creativity. Her mother made jewelry, ceramics, and other crafts, and Fox was quick to follow suit.
“I’ve made art since I can remember,” she said. “I started with drawing, then moved to painting. I just loved it.”
Today, she’s applying that love and passion as a lecturer at A&M-San Antonio, where she started in 2024. She teaches courses in art appreciation, sculpture, advanced studio art, and collage.
“I really love teaching and working with students,” she said. “They’re fun, interesting, and they help keep me creative.”
In addition to teaching, Fox also pursues personal artistic projects. Her multimedia work often combines drawing, photography, stop-motion video, and puppetry to explore themes of life, loss, and love, frequently with an undercurrent of dark symbolism.
Last year, her work was exhibited at grayDUCK Gallery in Austin and the Laredo Center for the Arts. Her video piece Bad Bunny Gets Lucky was also featured in the exhibition Shifting Terrains at Kunstquartier Bethanien in Berlin, where she completed an artist residency last summer.
Most recently, Fox received a Jim Henson Foundation grant to produce a new puppet show. The marionette folk tale will address the cycle of domestic violence, and she plans to stage performances at galleries across Texas, including in San Antonio and Houston.
While she’s flourishing as both a teacher and artist, her journey has not always been easy.
After she earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art and feminist theory from Southwestern University in Georgetown, she moved to Austin with dreams of building a life as a working artist.
“It was tough,” she said. “There was a lot of failure, but also a lot of fun because I was able to try so many different things.”
To make ends meet, she took a job as a graphic designer. After four years, however, a moment at a museum made her realize that a traditional office job was not the life she wanted.
“I saw this beautiful painting and just started crying,” she said. “I really missed making art.”
That experience prompted Fox to return to school. She moved to San Antonio and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Reenergized, she began experimenting with new forms of expression, including puppetry and other unconventional mediums.
“I started making weird stuff people don’t necessarily want to hang in their houses,” she said.
Eventually, she found the right balance between her artistic exploration and teaching. She served as an adjunct instructor at A&M–San Antonio and later as a lecturer at Texas State University for several years before returning to A&M–San Antonio as a full-time lecturer.
Looking ahead, Fox said that while her life has not always unfolded as she originally imagined, she is grateful to have found a place where she can remain creative and adventurous. A mother to a young son, she sees her roles as artist, parent, and teacher as deeply connected.
“Whatever happens in my life, I know I’ll always be an artist, I’ll always be a mom, and I’ll always love to teach,” she said. “I love my students, and I’m trying my best to prepare them to participate as artists in the real world.”