EDUCATION
Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Boston, MA, MFA Sculpture
Rhode Island School of Design. Providence, RI, BFA, Sculpture
HIGHLIGHTS
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award Winner
DeYoung Museum Residency. SF, CA.
Dale Chihuly’s Pilchuck Glass School Scholarship Winner
Stuart Weitzman Sculptural Shoe Design Exhibition
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Public Art Grant. Providence, RI
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
De Young Museum Artist Residency. San Francisco, CA
Pilchuck Glass School. Stanwood, WA
Platte Clove Artists Residency. Platte Clove, NY
Museo Italo Americano. San Francisco, CA. Artist-in-Residence Award
GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS/AWARDS
Nomination“Cooper Hewitt Design Award /Fashion” New York, Nomination “Joan Mitchell Foundation Award” New York, NY Nomination “St. Botolph’s Grant”
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Public Art Grant. Providence, RI Pilchuck Glass School Scholarship. Stanwood, WA
Jackson Pollock-Lee Krasner Foundation Grant. New York, NY Rhode Island School of Design Scholarship Providence, RI
SELECT COLLECTIONS
Fidelity Investments. Boston, MA
Meditech. Fall River, MA
Stuart Weitzman. New York, NY
Jane Bryant Quinn. New York, NY
Neiman Marcus. Naples, FL
Museo Italo Americano. San Francisco, CA
Cirque Du Soleil. Montreal,Canada
Women’s Studio Workshop. Rosendale, NY
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artist Gallery. CA
PUBLICATIONS
Art New England. “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral” 10/11
Stu . “Discarded Objects” 3/10
Interweave Knits. Artist Spolight: Susan Freda by Sabrina Gschwandtner. 9/09 Boston Globe. “Uncovering the story behind the art” 7/09
Commission Requests
Susan Freda
Warren , RI, United States
About | Susan Freda
Susan Freda was educated at the Rhode Island School of Design where she earned her BFA and at the Massachusetts College of Art for her MFA. She has received numerous awards, notably a residency & exhibition at the de Young Museum & a Pollock Krasner Award.
Transparency, form, and flowing line, the play of cast shadows and light on a wall, sparkling, subtle states of being that invoke intimate, emotive responses. Freda imbues her pieces with an ephemeral presence and ability to catch and hold light and form. Created from hand woven wire and glass, her pieces envelope viewers in a seductive, entranced space. Their transparent and interconnected forms and jewel-like nature reference nature, fashion, and otherworldly phenomena.
Freda’s work is inspired by numerous sources, some of which include: Giacometti’s stretched and elongated figures, Judi Pfaff’s installations and deft use of material; and the sculptures of Anish Kapoor. Her explores the transient, poetic, and ephemeral experiences of our world—intimacy & emotion, and offers a space for their consideration.