Sara Payne

Sara Payne is a Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), affiliated with the Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation. She teaches courses such as Animation I: Drawing for Animation and Intermediate Animation: Experimental Methods, focusing on traditional and digital animation techniques. Payne holds a BFA from SAIC (2016) and has exhibited work at notable venues including the Guanajuato International Film Festival and the Museum of the Moving Image. Her awards include first place in the animated film category at the Big Shoulders International Student Film Festival.

Her research and creative practice emphasize experimental animation methods, blending traditional drawing with digital media. Courses she instructs cover topics like metamorphosis, walking cycles, and cameraless animation, alongside screenings of seminal works. Payne’s artistic projects, such as Covid Dogs (2021) and Neon (2014), reflect her exploration of multimedia and material-based animation techniques.