Bio & Credentials

About Suzanne

Suzanne Wright is an artist, certified coach, and educator working at the intersection of creativity, mindfulness, and neuroscience. Energized by the innate and profound link between creativity and wellbeing, she founded Art Well 4 Life in 2020 to help individuals and groups artfully navigate life-journeys, transitions, and ADHD (executive functioning challenges).

Suzanne brings a unique blend of experience with 30 years in the art museum field, nineteen years as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at The Phillips Collection, in Washington, DC, as well as many years as an adjunct university instructor in fine arts and art history.

She has synthesized this expertise with new professional training in somatic, ADHD, and life coaching to produce a unique, evidence-based method blending creativity, mindfulness, neuroscience. In her programs and coaching, Suzanne supports adults with a blend of sophistication, insight, creativity, and playfulness. While she firmly believes that “play” and “fun” are critical components of any growth process – especially for adults – you won’t find any craftsy macaroni necklace making in her programming.

Museum Career and Achievements

Driven to transform the function of art museums in our culture, Suzanne played a significant role in shifting the national paradigm leading her team to develop and scale award-winning national arts and K-12 education, wellness, and community engagement programs and initiatives. Under her leadership, they innovated the museum-goer’s experience at the Phillips and provided national models for other museums to follow suit. 

Suzanne fostered a diverse range of multi-year partnerships with university neuroscience programs, school systems, the US Departments of State and Education, the US Veterans Administration, artist collectives, embassies, and renowned museums across the country.

In addition to building an extensive portfolio of programs, publications, national leadership grants, and foundational support for The Phillips Collection, she co-founded Art Education DC, the DC “state” affiliate of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), and served as President-Elect/ President for 4 years.

Highlights of recognition Suzanne has received include: the Eastern Region “Museum Educator of the Year” by the NAEA, top awards for “Excellence in Educator Resources” from the American Alliance of Museums, and the Washington, DC “Mayor’s Art Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Education.”

Credentials

Suzanne received her BA in visual arts and art history from George Washington University and her MA in art history from Tufts University. She holds certificates in Museum Studies (Tufts), professional life coaching (Life Purpose Institute), ADHD coaching (Live ADHD Free), Reiki I and Reiki II (The Mindfulness Center). She is currently working on her peer-reviewed ADHD coaching credential and completing her Science Of Mindful Awareness (SOMA) Meditation Teacher Training.