Kristine Aono Artist Bio

Kristine Aono explores themes of personal narrative and history through her artworks, sculptures, and installations. Deep research, unconventional materials, and community interaction are integral components of her artwork. Aono’s art tells stories of her family’s Japanese-American experience, oftentimes reaching beyond to cultural, racial, and societal issues that reflect both historical events
and present-day conflicts.

Aono’s solo shows include the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA; the International Sculpture Center, Washington, DC; and other venues. Her work has been exhibited in places such as the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; the Long Beach Museum of Art, CA; the Bronx Museum of Art, NY; National Academy of Design, NYC; Japan Cultural Center, Embassy of Japan, Washington, DC; and the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC.

Aono is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship and grants from organizations which include National Endowment for the Arts (Visual Artist/Public Projects), Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, Maryland State Arts Council, and Art Matters. She holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has served on numerous art panels, given workshops and presentations, and has been a teaching artist for many years. Aono's artwork is in the collections of the Japanese American National Museum and private collectors.

Aono has been featured in articles, broadcasts, and interviews, with reviews in ARTFORUM International, Artspace Magazine, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Yomiuri Shimbum. She is featured in books such as Unsettled Visions: Contemporary Asian American Artists and the Social Imaginary (Margo Machida), Exhibitions for Social Justice (Elena Gonzales), Community of Creativity: A Century of MacDowell Colony Artists (Andrew P. Spahr), Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education (New Museum of Contemporary Art, Ed: Susan Cahan and Zoya Kocur), and Fresh Talk Daring Gazes: Conversations on Asian American Art (Kim, Machida, Mizota).

Kristine Aono’s studio is located in the Washington DC region. You can visit her website at www.KristineAono.com and follow her on Instagram and FaceBook.