Visual artist Kirsten Sadler can relate to John Denver’s famed lyrics, “Country roads take me home to the place where I belong, West Virginia...” After living in various locations, she decided to move back to Appalachia. Immediately, she aspired to create work confronting the adversities of her home. Her body of work consists of multiple series highlighting social and political issues of Appalachia with a visual duality of perception versus reality. As a proud Appalachian, her work is created to inspire critical commentary on current issues of the region.

​

Sadler received her B.F.A. with an emphasis in Painting from Marshall University in 2013. In pursuit of more artistic knowledge, she earned her M.A. in Art History from George Mason University in 2016. She went on to obtain her M.F.A in Painting and Drawing from Radford University in 2019. Currently, she is a professor of art at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, NC.