Public Talk by Suzanne Isken

Hawaii Craftsmen News Release

Suzanne Isken will be giving a public talk on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 2-3 p.m. at the Kualapuu Recreation Center located in Kualapuu. Suzanne is this year’s juror for the Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibit.

Suzanne Isken served as executive director of Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles from 2011 through 2023. There, she led initiatives to support the creation of contemporary craft and build audiences by establishing a large-scale program of hands-on-experiences for the public. In 2019, Isken led the board of directors in a new strategic plan that renamed the museum formerly known as the Craft and Folk Art Museum as Craft Contemporary in order to reflect the relationship between materials, processes, and the human hand. Under her direction, the museum presented landmark exhibitions that highlighted the careers of under-recognized craft based artists that included This is Not a Silent Movie: Four Contemporary Alaska Native Artists, Betye Saar: Keepin’ it Clean, The US-Mexico Border: Place, Imagination and Possibility, and Strings of Desire. Previously she served a decade as the director of education at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, following 10 years of service as coordinator of school and teacher programs and gallery educator. In addition to contributions to numerous catalogs produced by Craft Contemporary, Isken has authored articles in Academic Medicine, School Arts, and contributed the essay “Art and Cancer in the Public Space” to Driefuss-Kattan’s book Cancer and Creativity (2019). Isken currently maintains a textile art practice. 

This event is free to the public and all are welcome.