Sue had this to say about Sage: 

"Sage Kugler was a student in my course AED 490 Capstone in Art Education at Penn State University. While the purpose of this class was not on studio work, students were tasked to experiment with art media for potential lesson planning and used their artwork to write artist statements and teaching philosophy statements. Sage approached my media prompts with a commitment to openness and fully engaged with a wide array of art media in a dynamic yet skillful way. In her artist statement, she referenced that Surrealism was an inspiration not only as a style but as an approach to experiment and play. In a teaching demonstration, Sage led an activity that asked her peers to try unfamiliar materials in unusual ways to see what would happen. Currently, Sage interns at the Palmer Museum of Art and approaches her work there with a similar curiosity in leading making activities in public programming. I nominate Sage Kugler as Student Artist of the Month for her commitment to curiosity, experimentation, and play in both her artwork and teaching."

Who has been your biggest influence and why?

My biggest influence is probably my mom. I grew up in a very creative household and some of my finest memories are creating fun little art projects with her at my kitchen table. She continues to help me test out lesson ideas and introduce me to different materials and artists and I wouldn’t be here without her.

Why is art class/art education important?

Art is an amazing tool that helps students think critically and creatively in an untraditional setting. It’s important to give students the opportunity to express themselves through artistic abilities and to help them grow as a person that they can take with them into the world.

What advice would you give to other artists? *

Keep pushing your artistic limits. If you have an idea, run with it and try to give yourself a little challenge when you work on it. This can be new technique, material, or really anything! This will help you think more critically around your art along with teaching yourself some new skills that can be used for future projects.