About

Sara Vanderbeek is an award-winning transdisciplinary artist, curator, and advocate for sustainability and affordability in arts infrastructure, based in Austin, Texas. Her work explores themes of place, motherhood, mental health, and trauma, and has been exhibited at institutions and festivals including The Contemporary Austin, the Bentonville Film Festival, Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles, and Co-Lab Projects.

She is the Founding Executive Director and Curator of DORF, an experimental contemporary art gallery dedicated to supporting regional artists, amplifying marginalized voices, and fostering meaningful dialogue. DORF recently relocated to the Zilker Point building through a unique public-private partnership, enabling the gallery to operate at a symbolic rent of just $1 per year.

As a consultant, Vanderbeek has shaped major public art collections—including those for the Texas Municipal Retirement System and University Health—with a focus on investing in Texas-based artists to drive local and regional economic development. She was a founding member and Board President of ICOSA Collective, and serves as an active facilitator for professional development programs through Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Her artwork is held in private and institutional collections internationally, and her practice has received support from the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Christie’s Auction House, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Vanderbeek holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.