Kristin Poole Bio
Artistic Director
Kristin Poole is the Artistic Director of The Foster where she stewards The Foster’s relationship with artist Tony Foster and other museums and art institutions. Poole supports Tony and The Foster through collaborations with many constituencies including The Foster’s Advisors. She is also the Artistic Director of Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA) since 1997, where she leads programming for the accredited Museum. Kristin focuses on the Museum’s multidisciplinary approach and explores relevant topics through visual art exhibitions, humanities lectures, seminars, music, film and theatre performances. A curator and art historian, Poole also develops exhibitions and lectures and writes on topics related to modernism, American Craft and contemporary art. Kristin has included Tony Foster’s Journeys in a number of exhibitions including The Whole Salmon (2002) and After Lewis and Clark: Explorer Artists and the American West (1998-99) at SVMoA.
In 2018 she received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of her contributions to arts and culture in the state of Idaho. Previous experience includes: Director of Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition; Curatorial Assistant, Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago); and Director of Lill Street Gallery (Chicago). She holds an MA in Modern Art History from the University of Chicago and a BA in Studio Art and English from Denison University.