Joanne Tepper Saffren is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Sacramento area. Her practice encompasses sculpture, installation, papermaking, photographic processes, and painting.

Much of her work begins with materials that have been touched by us, or that touch our lives through their gifts—trees, clothing, paper, and chairs. Through these materials, she explores memory, impermanence, resilience, and the relationships between people and the natural world.

Her recent exploration of painting marks a more inward direction in her practice, opening new possibilities for personal expression and discovery.

Earlier in her career, Saffren operated an award-winning graphic design studio in Venice and Folsom, California. She also taught and mentored art students at the Art Institute in Sacramento.

She received her BFA from Otis College of Art and Design and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Saffren is involved with Mother Art Revisited, based in Chicago, and Thresholds Collective, based in Tennessee. Her exhibition Trees was presented at Axis Gallery in Sacramento in 2025.