Artist Statement

Life is like a journey; we are all sojourners on the earth.

I am originally from Japan and moved to the U.S. about 25 years ago. Moving from one place to another, leaving things behind, and facing a new landscape and culture makes me feel like a traveler, a sojourner, a person in a new place. The belief I have is that life is like a journey; we are all sojourners on the earth. At the same time, I constantly long for the place that I can fully call home. My artworks explore various perspectives into my search for the meaning of "home" within a sojourner's journey. Through the art forms which are primarily paintings and installations, I mainly explore cultural, social, philosophical, and spiritual aspects.

Bio

Chiyoko Myose is an artist originally from Wakayama, Japan, and now lives and works in Wichita, KS. She holds a BA in English Literature from Doshisha Women’s College in Kyoto, Japan, and a BFA in painting from Wichita State University, Wichita, KS. Her works are primarily painting, and installation art. Chiyoko has been showing her works through exhibitions and commissions regionally, nationally, and internationally including in Japan and Italy. Her solo exhibitions are typically large-scale, including the one at the main gallery of CityArts in Wichita, KS, Mid America Arts Alliance in Kansas City, MO, Oklahoma Contemporary in Oklahoma City, OK, McKeon Center for Creativity in Tulsa, OK, and Northcutt Steele Gallery in Billings, MT. Her artist residencies include the one at the International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy, and the one at Foundation House in Greenwich, CT. She has collaborated with other forms of art such as classical music, contemporary dance, and Japanese tea ceremony where she explored community engagement and cross-cultural relationships and broadened the range of expression. She has also done lectures, presentations, and workshops, and served as a juror. She was awarded several awards including a Koch Cultural Trust Enabling Grant, a Wichita Arts Council Artist Grant, and a KMUW NPR Artist Series Award. She is married and has two children.