Brigitte Martin, American Craft's editor at large and a longtime figure in the craft field, has been selected as the next executive director of Boston's Society of Arts + Crafts (SA+C), following a national search led by Arts Consulting Group. Martin assumes her new role today, March 1, at the 122-year-old organization’s home in Boston’s thriving Seaport neighborhood.

“Brigitte’s visionary in outlining opportunities to expand the reach of craft, which dovetails perfectly with the Society of Arts + Crafts’ mission of education,” SA+C board president Jennifer Rayburn says.

Martin was most recently executive director of the Furniture Society. She also has served as board president for the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Martin is well-known to international crafting communities for founding and managing Crafthaus, an online community that supports and provides services to craft artists in all disciplines, as well as for organizing national Craft Think Tank events. She's also served as editor at large for the American Craft Council's award-winning publication, American Craft.

“The Society of Arts + Crafts is a prominent, well-respected organization with a significant history," Martin says. "Taking the reins here is an extraordinary opportunity to shape SA+C’s future, create exciting and ambitious programming, and retain its leadership in the craft industry.”

Martin was born and educated in Germany, where she received a Fulbright Scholarship. She worked in Cologne as an administrator at Sotheby’s and at Gallery Michael Werner. After apprenticing with Master Goldsmith Ulrike Brunsmann in Bonn, Martin moved to the US and opened a retail gallery for fine craft. Her book, Humor in Craft, received a gold medal in the humor category of the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards.