CV
Sarah Vanasse Miles
www.sarahvanassemiles.com│sarah@sarahvanassemiles.com│507-399-4526│Rochester, MN
Education
2017, MA, Social Justice and Ethics, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO
2013, BA, Religious Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN
Workshops & Training
Oct 2025 - Jan 2026, Figure Drawing, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN.
Jan - May 2022, Basic Drawing, The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN.
Mar 2022, Figure Drawing, The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN.
Mar 2022, Winter Plein Air, The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN.
Mar 2022, Michael Chelich: The Elements of Art & Principles of Composition, The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN.
Grants & Awards
Sep 2025, Best in Show, Med City Art Competition, Rochester, MN
Oct 2024 - Sept 2025, Emerging Artist Grant, Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Chiaroscuro Chronicles: Reinterpreting Narratives of Antiquity through Film Aesthetics, 12 oil paintings on canvas.
Sep 2024, 1st Place, Professional Painting, Med City Art Competition, Gallery 24, Rochester, MN, Our Lady of Creative Elements (2023), Oil on Canvas
Sep 2024, 1st Place, Plein Air Painting, Med City Art Competition, Rochester, MN, The Peace Plaza (2024), oil on panel.
Aug 2023, Grand Champion, Martin County Fair, Fairmont, MN, Our Lady of Creative Elements (2023), oil on canvas.
Aug 2022, 1st Place Painting, Martin County Fair, Fairmont, MN, Hayward Landscape (2022), oil on canvas.
Aug 2022, 1st Place Drawing, Martin County Fair, Fairmont, MN, 198 Kent Street (2022), graphite on paper.
Aug 2021, Reserve Grand Champion, Martin County Fair, Fairmont, MN, Miles’ Farm (2021), oil on canvas.
Aug 2021, 1st Place Painting, Martin County Fair, Fairmont, MN, Miles’ Farm (2021), oil on canvas.
Solo Exhibitions
Nov 2026 - Jan 2027, (Upcoming), Tomorrow (Working Title), Blue Heron Coffeehouse, Winona, MN, self-curated.
Feb - Mar 2026, Chiaroscuro Chronicles, Bethel Evangelical Free Church, Fairmont, MN, self-curated.
Sept 2025, Chiaroscuro Chronicles, Rochester Beacon Academy, Rochester, MN, self-curated.
May 2024 - Jan 2025, Featured Artist, Urban Forage Winery & Cider House, Minneapolis, MN, self-curated.
Feb – Mar 2023, Featured Artist, Red Rock Center for the Arts, Fairmont, MN, self-curated.
Group Exhibitions
Aug 2025 – Nov 2025, Med City Art Festival, Kahler Inn, Rochester, MN, curated by Ivete Martinez.
Aug 2024 – Nov 2024, Med City Art Festival, Gallery 24, Rochester, MN, curated by Ivete Martinez.
Jul – Aug 2023, C4W: 2023 – The Periphery of Power, Gamut Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, curated by Esther Callahan. Embrace (2022) featured in an article by MPLSART.com.
Apr 2023, Bohemian, Van Der Plas Gallery, New York City, NY, curated by Adriaan Van Der Plas.
Nov – Dec 2019, Art Crawl Hangover, Narva Gallery, Saint Paul, MN, curated by Alex Narva.
Oct – Nov 2018, Annual Halloween Show, 410 Project, Mankato, MN, curated by Murphy Sikkila.
Commissions (Private Collections)
Feb 2026, Drew’s Bouquet - Pastel on Paper, 8” x 10”
Jan 2026, 198 Kent Street - Oil on Canvas, 16” x 20”
Dec 2024, Pet Portrait – Oil on Panel, 8” x 10”
Jul 2024, Busters - Pastel on Paper, 8” x 10”
Jul 2024, Oaisis - Pastel on Paper, 8” x 10”
Dec 2023, Portrait of Emma Sletta – Oil on Panel, 5” x 7”
Nov 2022, Pet Portrait – Oil on Panel, 8” x 10”
Oct 2022, Portrait of Andrew Fox – Oil on Canvas, 16” x 20”
Jun 2022, Cityscape of Minneapolis – Oil on Panel, 5” x 7”
Jul 2021, Miles’ Farmscape – Oil on Canvas, 12” x 12”
Art Fairs & Gallery Shops
July 2025 - Present, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
Jun – Aug 2024, Thursdays on First, Rochester, MN
May 2024, Art-A-Whirl, Minneapolis, MN
Dec 2023 - Jan 2024, Threshold Arts, Rochester, MN
May 2023, Art-A-Whirl, Minneapolis, MN
Biannually, 2019–2023, Saint Paul Art Crawl, Saint Paul, MN
Feb 2019, Raw Artist Showcase, The Pourhouse, Minneapolis, MN
Public Art
Aug 2023, Going Hog Wild in Martin County, Fairmont, MN, Penny Pincher (2023), Acrylic on Cement Statue, 2’ x 4’ x 1’, funded by Becker Financial Group.
May 2023, Going Hog Wild in Martin County, Fairmont, MN, Otto Mater (2023), Acrylic on Cement Pig Statue, 2’ x 4’ x 1’ Sponsored by Kahler Automation
Upcoming Projects
Nov 2026 - Jan 2027, Tomorrow (Working Title), Blue Heron Coffeehouse, Winona, MN.
Tomorrow is an upcoming exhibition of 26-30 oil paintings exploring the psychology of desire, anticipation, and artificial abundance within contemporary consumer culture. Drawing on philosophical ideas such as Zeno’s paradox—where one moves endlessly closer to a goal without ever reaching it—the work examines how advertising, spectacle, and hyper‑produced imagery sustain perpetual appetite rather than satisfaction through texture. Bathing figures, plastic or idealized foods, and polished surfaces evoke both classical narratives like Bathsheba and modern commercial imagery, positioning the viewer in a space between longing and fulfillment. The paintings present a dreamlike, technicolor world where beauty and abundance are preserved but ultimately unattainable, reflecting on how images promise satisfaction while endlessly deferring.
Press (Print & Online)
Feb 2026, KTTC. “Midwest Access: Sarah Vanasse Miles, Mythical Mile Coaching, Tooth Talk, Garden Recipes, Pet of the Week.” Midwest Access. February 25, 2026.
Sep 2025, Syracuse Cultural Workers. 2026 Women Artists Datebook. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Cultural Workers, 2025. ISBN 978-1-956301-11-3
Jun 2025, “Meet Sarah.” CanvasRebel Magazine. Accessed March 5, 2026.
https://canvasrebel.com/meet-sarah-6/
Feb 2024, “Meet Sarah Vanasse Miles,” Bold Journey, February 8, 2024,
https://boldjourney.com/meet-sarah-vanasse-miles/.
Nov 2023, “Meet Sarah Vanasse Miles.” CanvasRebel Magazine. Accessed March 5, 2026,
https://canvasrebel.com/meet-sarah-vanasse-miles/.
Aug 2023, Byng, Hatta, ed. “The Art Edit.” House and Garden 78, no. Aug 2023, pg. 148.
Jul 2023, White, Russ. “Worth a Look: The Periphery of Power at Gamut Gallery.” MPLSART, July 31, 2023,
https://www.mplsart.com/written/2023/08/worth-a-look-the-periphery-of-power-at-gamut-gallery
Mar 2023, “Check Out Sarah Vanasse Miles’s Story.” Voyage Minnesota Magazine. Accessed March 5, 2026,
https://voyageminnesota.com/interview/check-out-sarah-vanasse-miless-story/
Feb 2023, Wohlrabe, Brooke. “Vanasse Brings Art Work Home.” Fairmont Sentinel, February 13, 2023,