Ken Friedman

Ken Friedman, (born September 19, 1949 in New London, Connecticut) was a member of Fluxus, an international laboratory for experimental art, architecture, design, and music. Friedman joined Fluxus in 1966 as the youngest member of the classic Fluxus group. He has worked closely with other Fluxus artists and composers such as George Maciunas, Dick Higgins, and Nam June Paik, as well as collaborating with John Cage and Joseph Beuys. He was the general manager of Dick Higgins's Something Else Press in the early 1970s. In the 1990s, Friedman's work as a management consultant and designer led him to an academic career, first as Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design at the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, then as Dean of the Faculty of Design at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Friedman is currently University Distinguished Professor at Swinburne and Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University.

From 1965 to 1966, Friedman studied at Shimer College, a Great Books school then located in Mount Carroll, Illinois. It was at this time that he developed the programs at Radio WRSB that brought him into contact with Dick Higgins and the Something Else Press. While Friedman was at Shimer, he created the score for A Mandatory Happening. George Maciunas would produce this as one of Friedman’s first Fluxus boxes.

Friedman received his Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in education, psychology, and social science from San Francisco State University in 1971. He received his doctorate in 1976 from the United States International University. In 2007 Loughborough University in the UK honored Friedman with the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, for outstanding contributions to design research.

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