Saydi Kaufman was born in Tarpon Springs, Florida. She moved to New York City in 1998 where she had a career in publishing for several years before returning to school to pursue her M.F.A. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Montclair State University and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida. While at Montclair State University she was awarded a Graduate Assistantship and nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation grant. Saydi is now on staff as an adjunct art professor at Montclair State University and Bergen County Community College. She is also the upper and middle school art teacher at Lacordaire Academy in Upper Montclair. In 2010 Saydi was invited to be a guest lecturer at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland, New Zealand. While lecturing at Whitecliffe she also curated an exhibition called “Paper Trails: Works from the New York Metro”. In between teaching, curating, and traveling, Saydi maintains an art studio in Upper Montclair, New Jersey and stays busy raising her two young children Asher (8) and Zella (6).