Sarah Archer is an American writer and curator based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States who specializes in design and material culture. She is the author of ''Catland: The Soft Power of Cat Culture in Japan'' (2020); ''The Midcentury Kitchen: America's Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s'' (2019); ''Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945 to 1970'' (2016); and ''Midcentury Christmas Stocking Stuffer Edition (2018),'' all published by Countryman Press. Archer has also been a regular contributor to ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

,'' ''

Elle Decor ''Elle'' (stylized in all caps) is a worldwide magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, and society and lifestyle. The title ''Elle'' means ''She'' in French. ''Elle'' is considered "one of the world's largest ...

'',''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

,'' ''

1stDibs 1stdibs.com, Inc. (stylized as 1stDibs) is an American e-commerce company. It has an online marketplace, which sells luxury items such as high-end furniture for interior design, fine art and jewelry. The company has been recognized for "pushing t ...

,'' ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'', ''

American Craft American craft is craft work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft materials and processes. Examples include wood (woodworking and furniture making), glass (glassblowing and lampworking), clay (ceramics), textiles ...

'', ''

Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinki ...

,'' and ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'', among others.

Education and career

Archer graduated from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

(2000) and earned an MA in

Decorative Arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excl ...

, Design history, Design History,

Material Culture Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...

from

Bard Graduate Center The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture is a graduate research institute and gallery located in New York City. It is affiliated with Bard College, located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Annandale-on-Hud ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(2006). She has served as a curatorial assistant at the

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the ...

; the director of

Greenwich House Pottery Greenwich House Pottery is a non-profit pottery studio located in the West Village of New York City. History Greenwich House Pottery was founded in New York's Greenwich Village in 1909 as a part of the settlement movement, settlement house Gree ...

; and the senior curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. She guest-curated ''Bright Future: New Designs in Glass'' at the

Pratt Pratt is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: A–F * Abner Pratt (1801–1863), American diplomat, jurist, politician, and lawyer * Al Pratt (baseball) (1847–1937), American baseball player * Andy Pratt (baseball) (bor ...

Manhattan Gallery (2012). Archer has been a frequent contributor to ''

,'' ''

'',''

,'' ''

'', ''

,'' and ''

'', among others. Her writing has also appeared in '' Dwell'', ''Hand/Eye'',

Herman Miller MillerKnoll, Inc., doing business as Herman Miller, is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings. Its best known designs include the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, Mirra chair, and t ...

''WHY'', and ''Modern Magazine.''

Books

* ''Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945 to 1970'' (2016) * ''Midcentury Christmas Stocking Stuffer Edition'' (2018) * ''The Midcentury Kitchen: America's Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s'' (2019) (recipient of the 2019 Indies Bronze Medal for Popular Culture.) * ''Catland: The Soft Power of Cat Culture in Japan'' (2020) (recipient of the 2020 Indies Gold Medal for Popular Culture.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Sarah Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American writers American art curators American women curators Swarthmore College alumni Bard Graduate Center alumni Writers from Philadelphia 21st-century American women writers