Susannah Israel is an artist and writer living in Oakland, California. Her sculptures reveal a gritty yet passionate view of humanity, drawn from city life. Israel received her baccalaureate in Art & Chemistry, 1987 and MFA, 2000 from San Francisco State University. She was Professor of Sculpture & Ceramics at Laney College, Oakland (2002-2018) and also engaged with diverse communities throughout the western states, giving lectures, workshops and masterclasses. She continues to mentor artists through the Color Network. Israel’s expressive work is widely exhibited, appearing in the collections of the Archie Bray Foundation, AMOCA, Auckland Memorial Museum, New Zealand, Mint Museum’s American Ceramics Collection, the Yingge Ceramics Museum, parks and libraries, and many other sites around the world. Selected honors include the Fletcher Challenge Premier Award, a distinction which Israel holds exclusively among US artists, Gottlieb Foundation grant, Groot Foundation Award, Center For Cultural Innovation Award, Vivika Heino Award, the 1st Ernie Kim Award and others. Selected artist residencies include the Archie Bray Foundation, Boise Visiting Artists & Scholars Program, Mission Clay Art & Industry, Cider Creek Collective, Jentel Foundation, Kala Art Institute, Sculptor-On-Campus at CSU Bakersfield, Mendocino Art Center and others. At home in Oakland she works in her studio at the Vulcan Foundry.
