Susan Messer creates mixed media drawings and handmade books using a combination of alternative print strategies and varied drawing and sculptural media. These works have been presented in exhibitions and lectures in Beijing, Bogota, Oaxaca, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Milwaukee. Awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Artists Space, Art Jewelry Forum, Kohler Foundation and Wisconsin Arts Board have supported her creative projects.

An experienced studio instructor in drawing and book arts, Messer has taught in varied educational environments including the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Women’s Studio Workshop, Peninsula School of Art, Université Sainte-Anne – Nova Scotia, Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Beijing Normal University. She maintains an active studio practice in Wisconsin and has participated in artist residencies at Beijing Normal University, Cité des Arts (Paris), Ucross Foundation, and the Vermont Studio Center.

Messer received her MFA in Drawing from Arizona State University and studied intaglio printmaking at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.