American Craft Council trustee Namita Gupta Wiggers was recently appointed as the director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon, effective July 1. Wiggers has been curator at the museum since 2004, curating exhibitions such as "New Embroidery: Not Your Grandma's Doily," "Touching Warms the Heart," "David Shaner: Land Art," and "Object Focus: The Book," as well as several exhibitions in the Generations series, including the recent Betty Feves retrospective.

Wiggers is a leader in critical discussion of craft, co-founding the Critical Craft Forum with Elisabeth Agro (curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art), as well as authoring several books, including Generations: Betty Feves, 75 Gifts for 75 Years, Ken Shores: Clay Has the Last Word, and Unpacking the Collection: Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft, which documented the Museum of Contemporary Craft's collection and connection to the turbulent history of craft and art over the last 70 years.

Wiggers earned her MA in art history at the University of Chicago, and holds a BA in art history and English from Rice University. Her first connection to the museum came in 1999, when the museum store started carrying Wiggers' studio jewelry. Her enthusiasm and craft savvy has elevated the national and international profile of the Museum of Contemporary Craft as well as craft in the greater art world.

“Namita is a visionary leader who knows how to build and inspire a strong team," John Bishop, Presdient of the Museum of Contemporary Craft Board of Directors, says. "She has an amazing ability for sharing her passion for the work and connecting exhibitions to audiences.”