LA’S CRAFT & FOLK ART MUSEUM CHANGES NAME TO CRAFT CONTEMPORARY

The Craft & Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles has announced that it is changing its name to Craft Contemporary. For executive director Suzanne Isken, the museum has strengthened its focus on contemporary art made with craft media, techniques, and processes, and the name Craft Contemporary more accurately reflects this.  

“‘Craft Contemporary’ emphasizes the word ‘craft’ as a verb and a noun—celebrating both the act and outcome of making,” Isken said. “With our new name, we continue to respect the deep history of the craft field while also looking forward to its bold and exciting future.”

Founded by Edith Robinson Wyle in 1965 as a gallery and café known as the Egg & the Eye, the arts space was one of the first to emerge on the city’s Miracle Mile, along with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 1973, the venue became a nonprofit institution and adopted the name Craft & Folk Art Museum.

Since then, it has become known for supporting the early careers of artists such as Beatrice Wood, Sam Maloof, and Peter Shire. Today, the venue encompasses four thousand square feet of exhibition space. In recent years, the institution has mounted exhibitions of work by Betye Saar, Keiko Fukazawa, Gronk, and Timothy Washington, among others.