Suzanne Ramljak

Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

  • Grand Rapids MI

Suzanne Ramljak oversees the acquisition and siting of the permanent collection and curation of engaging exhibitions at Meijer Gardens.

Contact

Linkedin Profile

Biography

Suzanne Ramljak is Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, where she has worked since 2022. Ramljak was formerly Curator at the American Federation of Arts, New York, overseeing the development of traveling museum exhibitions and scholarly publications. She previously served as Editor of "Sculpture" magazine, published by the International Sculpture Center, and was Editor of "Metalsmith" and of "Glass Quarterly" magazines.

Ramljak has worked in the curatorial departments of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Her many curated exhibitions include "Romancing the Brain"; "Case Studies: Art in a Valise"; "Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art"; and "Mark Dion & Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld". Among the exhibitions she has curated since coming to Meijer Gardens are "Forest of Dreams: Contemporary Tree Sculpture"; "David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture"; "Busted: Contemporary Sculpture Busts"; and "Jaume Plensa: A New Humanism".

A contributor to numerous publications, Ramljak’s writing on art has appeared in "The New York Times Book Review" and "Utne Reader" among other periodicals and magazines. In addition to exhibition catalogues, her books include "On Body & Soul: Contemporary Amulets to Armor" and "Loaded: Guns in Contemporary Art".

Ramljak holds a BA and MA degree in Art History from the University of Michigan and completed her doctoral studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Industry Expertise

Museums and Institutions

Areas of Expertise

Art Criticism
Contemporary Art
Museum Exhibition Curation
Sculpture
Curating
Editing
Writing
Project Management
Art Curation
Lectures

Accomplishments

Todi Arts Studio Curatorial Residency - Summer 2025

Todi Arts Studio, former home and studio of Beverly Pepper, at Villa Zefiro provides residencies to established and globally respected sculptors and arts professionals, giving them a quiet place to work on a new project or idea or simply to be inspired by the beauty and tranquility of the Umbrian countryside and the magnificent hill town of Todi.

Education

The Graduate Center, City University of New York

M.Phil.

Art History

University of Michigan

M.A.

Art History

University of Michigan

B.A.

English Literature & Art History

Affiliations

  • AICA - International Association of Art Critics
  • College Art Association
  • International Sculpture Center (ISC) : Member, Board of Trustees

Media Appearances

Nick Cave’s New Monument Is for the Birds—Literally

Artnet  online

2025-10-30

"Amalgam (Origin)" marks the artist’s first public outdoor sculpture, recently installed at the sweeping 158-acre main campus of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and joining the institution’s permanent collection of over 300 sculptures as its largest figurative work. A creative evolution of his iconic “Soundsuits,” the towering bronze figure conveys a powerful sense of calm and solemn composure—an otherworldly sentinel that, through compositional and material weightiness, evokes themes of protection and sanctuary.

View More

Nick Cave’s “Amalgam (Origin)” Looms Over the Frederik Meijer Gardens

NewCity  online

2025-11-10

Suzanne Ramljak, Frederik Meijer Gardens’ vice president of collections, sees the piece as a new kind of monument and pilgrimage site. “We could call this a monumental sculpture,” says Ramljak. “It’s not just a monument to an individual, event or war, it’s really a monument to life force.”

View More

'Amalgam (Origin)' becomes permanent installation at Meijer Gardens

The Detroit News  print

2025-10-08

"Now that 'Amalgam (Origin)' has been integrated within the natural environment, the work’s catalytic power has been fully activated,” said Suzanne Ramljak, who is vice president of Collections & Curatorial Affairs at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. “Nick Cave’s epic sculpture will stand as a monument to individual and collective strength, and to our profound rootedness in nature.”

View More

Show All +

Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist
  • Author Appearance

Articles

Nick Cave - "Amalgam (Origin)"

Nick Cave "Amalgam (Origin)" Reveal Guide

Suzanne Ramljak

2025-09-15

Overview by Suzanne Ramljak of Nick Cave’s first public outdoor sculpture, "Amalgam (Origin)", which made its home in the permanent sculpture collection of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

View more