About

Statement

The peace and magnitude of nature is what inspires the aesthetics of my work. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the natural world provide visual references that I simplify with minimal elements and geometric proportions. But this world that displays so much beauty also produces a world of human tragedy and I combine these events to show a promise of peace and hope for the many hardships we all experience.  

A common theme in my work is the need to connect; to connect as humans, as neighbors, young and old, no matter the disagreements, be they superficial or real. The element I use most to suggest this connection are stones that I make from wood. The wood stones are symbols of power and strength when stacked, but also symbols of loneliness and failure to connect when left alone. The stones capture moments of engagement and also estrangement as we move through our time on earth. The loose stones can be picked up and moved, making the work interactive for viewers. Each person can hold the stones, move them, and create their own cosmos from their chaos. 

Bio

Jill Kyong is currently working on her MFA from the University of Idaho.  She received her BFA degree from the U of MN, with a focus on metal casting and constructed glass.  She then got distracted by family and life and found herself in Little Rock, where she took up wood working and taught wood classes at the Arkansas Art Center (now the Wingate Art School).  Jill returned to making art in 2017, with wood as her primary medium.  She now lives in Moscow, Idaho where she is a practicing artist, and creates wall art, sculpture, and furniture.

Curriculum Vitae

EXHIBITIONS

Moscow Contemporary, The Community of Trees, Moscow, ID, 2024, anticipated

America Association of Wood Turners, POP Show, invited, St. Paul, MN 2023, anticipated

The Art Spirit Gallery, Living Matter, Coeur D’Alene, ID, 2023, anticipated

Yuan Ru Art Gallery, Transcending Boundaries, Bellevue, WA, 2022,

Ridenbaugh Gallery, Convergence, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 2022

Dahmen Barn, Wonderful World of Wood, Uniontown, WA 2022

Art Center Highland Park, Nature vs Nurture, juried exhibition, Highland Park, IL, 2022

The Art Spirit Gallery, Terra, Coeur D’Alene, ID, 2022

Wharton Esherick Museum, Wood and…, juried exhibition, Malvern, PA, 2021

The Art Spirit Gallery, Unwrap the Creative, invitational, 2021

The Art Spirit Gallery, Confluence/Influence, Coeur D’Alene, ID, 2021

Dahmen Barn, The Wood Show, Uniontown, WA, 2020 & 2021

Boise Art Museum Triennial, juried exhibition, Boise, ID, 2020

Prichard Art Gallery, Benefit Show, Moscow, ID, 2019

3rd Street Gallery, Wood and Word, Moscow, ID, 2019

Interior Designers of Idaho, Chair Affair, Boise, ID, 2019, 2021

McCleod Fine Art Gallery, With the Grain-Fine Wood Working and Studio Furniture, Little Rock, AR, 2018

Arkansas Art Center Instructor Gallery, Wood Show, Little Rock, AR, 2017

Curator

Emerge Gallery, Origins of Identity, Coeur D’Alene, ID 2023, anticipated

-How nationality, race, and sexual identity shape who we are as artists and the work we create.

AWARDS

Juror’s Merit Award, Boise Art Museum Triennial, 2020,

Peoples Choice Award, Interior Designers of Idaho Chair Affair, 2019

Best Grad Student Design, Interior Designers of Idaho Chair Affair, 2019

Most Creative Award, Interior Designers of Idaho Chair Affair, 2019

GALLERY REPRESENTATION

Current:

The Art Spirit Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, ID

Yuan Ru Gallery, Bellevue, WA  

Past: 

Mix It Up Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, ID

Justus Gallery of Fine Art, Hot Springs, AR

McCleod Fine Art Gallery, Little Rock, AR

   

JUROR:

Emerge Gallery, Pop Up Show, Coeur d’Alene, ID, 2021

MEDIA:

“Wonderful World of Wood”, Woodworker West, August 2022

“Contemporary Artist Explores New Beginnings”, Lewiston Tribune, April 29, 2021

“Wood Artisans at the Dahman Barn”,  Woodworker West, Sept-Oct 2020, 

“The Art Spirit Gallery”, Woodworker West, July 2021

“Dahmen Barn Show”, Woodworker West, July 2021

“Championing Idaho”, Boise Weekly, Mar 18, 2020 

“Jill Kyong’s handsome “Shelf” works echo the precisionist aesthetic of early 20th-century American art with their     machined look, smooth surfaces and crisp materiality. Kyong’s smart, strong rectilinear compositions in dark and light wood, accented by precisely milled “stones” of maple are beautifully executed.” Christopher Schnoor

COMMISSIONS & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:

Various projects around the United States

EDUCATION:  

MFA candidate, Univ of Idaho, Art & Architecture, current

Post Baccalaureate, Univ of AR Little Rock, Windgate Center of Art & Design, 2018

Artist Inc. Fellow, Mid America Arts Council, Little Rock, AR, 2017

BFA, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, sculpture & metal casting, 1997

TEACHING:

Teacher of Record, University of Idaho College of Art and Architecture, Foundations Course, 2022

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Wingate Art School (formerly Arkansas Arts Center), wood working, 2013 – 2018

Private and community art lessons to youth and teens

Volunteer:

Props and Costume designer, Champaign Urbana Ballet Company, 2002-2009

email:  jillkyong@gmail.com

To see works in progress, what I’m doing in the shop, and what inspires me,

follow me on facebook.