Meet Our Executive Director
Lisa Brahms, PhD
Dear CraftStudies Community,
It is with great excitement that I introduce myself as the new Executive Director of CraftStudies! I officially began in June and have spent the summer learning all about the mission, vision, values and people of CraftStudies, and exploring ideas for its promising future! This has included weekly meetings with the dedicated CraftStudies Board of Directors, conversations with long-time instructors and monitors, consultations with artists and architects, and a very big move from the historic home of the League of New Hampshire Arts & Crafts in Hanover, NH, across the river to the future home CraftStudies in White River Junction, VT. At every turn, I have felt welcomed by a genuine sense of community, a spirit of generosity, and a shared commitment to the teaching and learning of craft.
I’ve spent my career learning about how people learn through creative processes, and designing learning experiences and environments to support such engagement. Just before joining CraftStudies, I was fortunate to serve as the Director of Education at the Montshire Museum of Science, sharing the joy of science through programs and partnerships with children and families across the Upper Valley. Prior to the Monthsire, I spent nearly a decade as the Director of Learning & Research at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. There, I led a team of educators, artists, and researchers who worked together to make creative process accessible and relevant to diverse audiences—from toddlers to teachers—through hands-on experiences with the materials, tools and technologies of arts and craft, as well as through artist and maker residency programs, and exhibitions. I was lucky enough to lead the research-based development of the Museum’s hands-on creative spaces, the Studio, focused on the fine arts, and MAKESHOP, the first museum makerspace designed for young children and families to explore at the intersection of handcraft and creative technology.
Craft, and the creative process, have always been central to my life, personally and professionally. Throughout my life, craft has been my greatest source of comfort, delight, and humility; an expression of who I am and what I value, and the place where I connect most strongly to community. I have found that through the making of craft, we are uniquely encouraged to listen, to share, to ask new questions and to learn. I am a lover for all things textiles. When I’m not writing grant proposals and crunching budget numbers, you will likely find me with needle, thread and fabric in hand.
I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow with CraftStudies and with you, as together, we foster creativity and connection through craft.
In hopeful anticipation and gratitude,
Lisa
