Dr. Susan Kiang was born in China and graduated from the National Chengchi University. She came to the United States in 1956 and received a doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado with a major in Educational Psychology and Guidance in 1959. For more than thirty years, Dr. Kiang has been devoted to Chinese painting. She started to practice Chinese calligraphy at the age of six.
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Dr. Kiang began to exhibit her paintings in China Night program and the China Day activities at St. Mary's College (1967 and 1969). A one person exhibit was her contribution to the grand opening of the New Moleau Gallery at St. Mary's College in 1972. Since then, she exhibited her paintings and calligraphy at many places, including the Gary Art Center, Gary, Indiana (1973), YWCA Gallery in South Bend, Indiana (1973), Sing Seng Art Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan (1984), South Bend Art Center, WAL Gallery (1986), the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan (1989), Chinese Women Artists, sponsored by the Chinese Culture Association in San Francisco (1990, 1992 and 1994), and Culver Military School Gallery (1995). She also joined Mr. Hsiao Chi Hui's calligraphy exhibit at South Bend in 1995 and other Chinese artists from the United States exhibit in Shanghai in1999.
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She has taught and demonstrated Chinese painting and calligraphy in many occasions, such as workshop of Chinese calligraphy at the St. Joseph Valley Watercolor Society (1979), Chinese painting workshop at South Bend Art Center (1990), Chinese painting and calligraphy workshop at Fernwood Arts and Grafts Center in Miles, Michigan (1991), Madison Elementary School in South Bend (1990), Edison Middle School, South Bend (1992 and 1998), University of Notre Dame (1996 and 1997), and Stanley Clark School (2001).
Dr. Kiang taught briefly at St. Mary's College and the University of Notre Dame after she received her doctoral degree and Oriental Brush Painting at Indiana University, South Bend, from 1979-1989, where she received a recognition award in 1986. Since 1991, she has donated her paintings to South Bend Regional Museum of Art and South Bend Aids Ministries and Aids Assist of North America for their annual fund-raising programs.
Dr. Kiang published a Chinese painting book in 1986, four books about her life, and many articles about her Chinese painting activities. She is listed in a number of biographies, including Artists of Chinese Origin in North America, Directory Dictionary of the Achievements of World Chinese Artists, and World Famous Chinese Artists Almanac. Her husband, Dr. John Kiang, educator, inventor, and advocate of one world, passed away on June 7, 2003.