Kiran Zaman grew up in South Carolina and Pakistan and has lived in Connecticut for 20 years. She has a Masters in Fine Arts from Pakistan and a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies (Social Sciences) from Wesleyan University. Over the years Kiran has taught art and developed art curricula in CT and Pakistan, for children ranging from 3 years old to MFA students. She has taught French for many years as well, to children and adults, with the Alliance Francaise in Pakistan, in the New Haven Public School System, at the Yeshiva High School in New Haven, and in the Foote School after school program. She worked at the Eli Whitney Museum from 2002-2005 as a Museum Manager, Educator, and Designer. She paused to raise her family and in the meantime served on the Museum Board of Directors and was a visiting educator for summer camps at the museum. In 2014, Kiran returned to the Museum as an Educator and Program Developer. In the autumn of 2020, she became Acting Associate Director and Manager. In September 2021 she was appointed as the Director of Programming and still continues to be an Educator and Program Developer.
Kiran has served on the boards of the Foote School and IRIS. Apart from being an educator, Kiran has worked as an actress in Pakistan, as a female lead in three serials. When living there she also participated in several solo and group art exhibitions, wrote scripts for radio shows, taught English for an educational TV channel, designed clothes to raise money for the underprivileged, illustrated a children's book for UNICEF to promote literacy in remote villages of Pakistan.
Kiran has always loved working with children and relishes the opportunity to do so in the interdisciplinary environment of the museum. She strongly believes in the museum's philosophies, where she can combine her love of creativity, community, diversity, exploration, and joyful learning into memorable classes and experiences for children of all learning styles.
Want to connect? Email- kz@eliwhitney.org
