NEW YORK, NY.- Kaish Family Art Project has appointed Susan Fisher, PhD, as Director to oversee strategic vision, operations, and partnerships. In her new role, she will also guide the development and implementation of exhibitions, programs, and events showcasing the work and legacies of artists Luise Kaish (1925𑁒2013) and Morton Kaish (b. 1927).

Melissa Kaish, KFAP founder, said, “We are delighted to welcome Susan to our team. With her deep experience as a curator, educator, and author, she is uniquely suited to support our mission: raising awareness of the work of my parents, Luise and Morton Kaish, through exhibitions, scholarship, and research into their expansive practices.”

An award-winning curator, Fisher recently served as Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Brooklyn Museum, one of the largest art institutions in the country. From 2009-2017, she was Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation. Previously, she served as the inaugural Horace W. Goldsmith Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Yale University Art Gallery and on the curatorial staff at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Fisher noted, “Being able to rigorously explore the archives and trove of works by Luise and Morton Kaish—each of whom interrogated a range of mediums and genres—is a thrilling opportunity and furthers my passion for creating and sharing inspiring art experiences. I wholeheartedly embrace the mission to heighten awareness of these two important artists in meaningful ways, particularly among those who may be new to their work.”

The curator and author of Picasso and the Allure of Language (Yale University Press, 2009) and over a dozen articles, Fisher has taught modern art history and museum studies at Fairfield University and Yale University and has lectured nationally and internationally on 19th-century and modern art. She holds a PhD and MA from Yale University and a BA from Oberlin College.

“My first project is digging deeper into Luise Kaish’s lifelong fascination with space and the cosmos through her stunning ‘celestial objects’ drawings which have never before been on public view,” Fisher noted. “These drawings and her ‘burntworks’ are lesser-known than her monumental metal sculptures but equally as masterful.”