Ruth De Young Kohler

For nearly 35 years, Ruth DeYoung Kohler has been the director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, what has often been called “one of the most unusual arts organizations in the United States.” Kohler is often described as a visionary, and is nationally known for having shaped the unique vision of the Arts Center since she became its third director when the Arts Center was less than 5 years old.

During her tenure at the Arts Center, Kohler has curated or co-curated well over 100 exhibitions. She founded the Arts/Industry program, which continues to be the only long-term residency program based in a major manufacturing plant in the country. Since 1973, as both director of the Arts Center and president of Kohler Foundation, Inc., she has led the most active and respected program in the nation devoted to the preservation of environments and objects created by self-taught artists. This work will culminate in 2007 with an Arts Center-wide exhibition, a major book and international conference exploring artist-environment builders represented in its collection. The Arts Center’s Connecting Communities program, created in 1997, has expanded Kohler’s emphasis on reaching constituencies with little access to the arts and on strengthening the region. Kohler’s leadership has affected every aspect of the Arts Center, from the breadth of its programming to the strong focus on the support of artists and on nourishing a continuing dialogue between artists and public.

Kohler has served on numerous panels and task forces for the National Endowment for the Arts, and she was chair of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state arts agency from 1974–1977, and a member of the board from 1973 to 1981. She has lectured, juried exhibitions, and served as a consultant for countless organizations across the United States, from the Smithsonian to Alaska.

Through the years, Kohler has been honored many times for her commitment to the arts. Among them:
• Wisconsin’s Governor’s Award for the Arts
• Visionary Award, from the American Craft Museum in New York City
• Smith Medal for exceptional achievement in the arts, from Smith College in Massachusetts.
• Honorary Fellow of the American Craft Council in New York
• Two honorary doctorates
• Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters
• Lifetime Achievement Award given by the International Cast-Iron conference in Princeton, New Jersey (premiere recipient)

Before working at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Kohler taught at the University of Alberta-Calgary (now the University of Calgary) in Canada, taught art in grades 1–11 in six school in Beloit, Wisconsin, and worked as a itinerant artist in Spain.