Joel Iskowitz

Joel Iskowitz is one of few living artists to have had his artwork displayed in the Pentagon, the Capitol and the White House. He has created artwork for three decades that has graced the covers of books, periodicals, journals, public spaces, coins and postage stamps worldwide. He is also an active United States Air Force (USAF) artist and has a number of oils in the USAF permanent collection. Mr. Iskowitz has been invited twice to document Space Shuttle missions and his artwork is on permanent display at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Museum. His 54 minted designs for United States coins and medals will remain unparalelled in the history of American coinage for a private citizen/contractor. He is the designer of the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal which was presented to the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Mercury astronaut John Glenn, by the leadership of the Congress on November 16, 2011 in the Rotunda of the Capitol. The Hon. John Glenn nominated Mr. Iskowitz to receive the National Medal of the Arts. Also in 2015, Mr.Iskowitz became the first and only American artist to have his portrait of HRM Queen Elizabeth II grace the coinage of the United Kingdom. He has had designs for 17 Congressional Gold Medals selected and minted. Mr.Iskowitz’s work has been featured in many international journals and museums in the United States and Europe.
He continues to present his artwork in illustrated lectures at universities and professional organizations, including the Fashion Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Marywood College, The Society of Illustrators, Fordham University, Hunter College, Montclair State University, the American Numismatic Association, and the New York Numismatic Club and the Shanghai Mint in China. In 2015 CSPAN devoted an hour of air time to his presentation at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American Finance, ” Designing Congressional Gold Medals, An artist’s Perspective”. In May of 2011 he was inducted into the Hunter College Hall of Fame. In November of 2017, he was inducted into the Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame.