Unlock the possibilities of children: Artist and Educator Mi Kyoung Yun

 

 What is the role of being an artist in this world? One of many roles can be unlocking the possibility of the children for better future. Ms. Yun is one of the artists who accomplishes being an artist. She used to tell me “I love to teach art because of the limitless possibilities art offers to reach the young minds in our schools. It is my tallest priority to help the students whom I teach to achieve their tallest potential. With art, students are free to create and express who they are. With art, students can be shown the achievements of people from all corners of the world and from the beginning of time until the present and even looking into the future. Art is constantly evolving, constantly changing, can be interpreted again and again, can be a personal journey or a joint endeavor. Art crosses curricular and touches all aspect of life. Art is truly the language of all humankind.”

 

Here are Ms Yun’s brief foot prints from the past.

Artist Mi Kyoung Yun went to Chu Gye University for the Arts, majored in a Painting. She graduated in 1983. While she was in the University, she taught children and teenage students in various art classes at Hongeik academy for a year in 1983.

A year after, she opened her own Art Academy for Children. Many of her students won the major prize for drawing contests, so she was recognized by some elementary school. Soon, she was invited and started to teach at an elementary school, as a special Art teacher in 1987. 

For extending her talents, she studied in Japan, went to Tokyo Community Art College

for Illustration program for four years. She came to the U.S. to get married her long term boyfriend who used to be her classmate at the University in Korea.

She has two children, one daughter and one son. It was absolutely hard time the first few years in the US, almost every day she wasn’t good at speaking English and there were no other close family members other than her husband and her children.

Although she was an accomplished artist back home, she couldn’t work on too many art projects because she couldn’t to even afford to send her kids to day-care center. So, she started a home art studio, teaching children for part time, while she breast fed her first child.

However, it was pretty hard to get a great work of art raising two kids and suffering from immigration life with her husband.

Roughly, she could not do drawing because whenever she drew, she usually showed her true mind through the painting, and she even hesitated to show her painting to others.

In the meantime, some of her students won the grand prize whenever they participated in art contests and it made her art class bigger than before. She taught over 40 students and many of her students, went to outstanding art university.

One day, president of New York Artist Association Joo-Okgeun advised her that “No matter how you suffer from your life; don't put the brush down and keep drawing momentary by momentary whenever you have a time.” Besides, she volunteered to teach an art at Zen Center for 15 years, and also she was doing it at her daughter’s elementary school for several years on art parts. Through this volunteering, she thought she could control her mind, and she could draw bit by bit. In consequence, she exhibited her painting through group exhibition since 2000.

Although she has been working adult home care service at the moment to support some art supplies, she feels great about helping adults. Of course, she has been teaching students as an art teacher at this moment in time. She has dreamed of being a painter and an art teacher since when she was 10 years old. She hopes to live her life to the full in order to create such a remarkable painting.

 

And the following lists are the student’s achievement through past 13 years.

 

2002

 

• <Radio Seoul KTV> Korean-New York Artist Association

 

• 1st place – Elizabeth Yun

 

• The Korean Times New York children’s Art competition (22 prize winners)

 

• 2nd prize (silver) Elizabeth Yun (3rd grade)

• 2nd prize (silver) Ashley Nam (6th grade)

• 2nd prize (silver) Jaemun Shim (pre-k)

• 2nd prize (bronze) Eunjeong Jang, Hansol Baek (Kinder)

 

• Space World (Daily Newspaper) (9 prize winners)

 

• Silver- Jaehoon Shim (2nd grade)

• Bronze- Misun Park (2nd grade)

• Bronze- Inheui Yang (2nd grade)

• Bronze- Hanil Back (2nd grade)

 

2003

 

• The Korean Times New York children’s Art competition

 

• 1st prize (Gold) – Justin Joo 

• 1st prize (Gold) – Jenny Cho 

• 2nd prize (silver) – Patrick Yun

 

• 2004 The Korean Times New York children’s Art competition(17 prize winners)

 

      -      1st prize (Gold)  

 

• Sangaha Ko (pre-k)

• Jinwoo Park (6th grade)

 

• 2ndprize (Silver)

 

• Daye Jung (kinder)

• Hansol Back (2nd grade)

• Geuntae Jang (5th grade)

• David Back (6th grade)

 

• 3rd prize (Bronze)

 

• Patrick Yun (Kinder)

• Andy Kang (2nd grade)

• Jaewoo Ahn (6th grade)

 

3.Mom & I Children’s Art Contest

 

• 1st prize

 

• Sorah Park (6 years old)

… Yuka Miura (10 years old)

 

• 2nd prize

 

• Rachel Nam (7 years old)

• David Back (12 years old)

 

• 3rd prize

 

• Daemo Ku (6 years old)

 

• Sangyoon Lee, Wonsik Nam (Won a prize)

 

2004-2005 

1. Lions International Peace Poster Contest, The Korea Times (4 prize winners)

 

• 3rd prize

 

• Jinwoo Park (7th grade)

• Elizabeth Yun (6th grade)

 

• 4th prize

 

• Junil Park (5th grade)

• Miura Yuka (5th grade)

 

2008 

1. Korea Daily Newspaper (7 prize winners)

 

• 1st prize (Gold)

 

• Jonathan Maeng (pre-k)

• Patrick Yun (4th grade)

 

• 2nd prize (Silver)

 

• Yoori Shin (4th grade)

 

2009 

1. U.S Scholaship Contest New Jersey

 

• 2nd Prize

• Barbara Yang

 

2. Korea Daily Newspaper (12 prize winners)

 

• 2nd Prize (Silver)

 

• Shijin Sung (5th grade)

• Sooji Park (Kinder)

 

• 3rd prize (Bronze)

 

• Jonathan Maeng (Kinder)

• Yoori Shin (5th grade)

• Yeseul Kang (3rd grade)

 

3. H.mart Contest in the U.S. (17 prize winners)

 

• 3rd prize (Heartful prize)

 

• Yoori Shin

 

• 4th prize (Happy prize)

• Subin Choi

• Steven Nam

• Patrick Yun

 

2010

 

• Korea Daily Newspaper (22 prize winners)

 

• 2nd prize (Silver)

 

• Kaylee Maeng

• Ban Lee (6th grade)

• Jenny Cho (6th grade)

• Yoori Shin (6th grade)

 

• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) Poster Contest U.S.

 

• 1st prize

 

• Jean Choi (4th grade)

 

2011

 

• YeSaMo USA Art Contest

 

• Gold – Ashley Choi

• Gold – Eujin Lim

• Bronze – Patrick Yun 

• Bronze – Justin Kang 

 

• Lions International Peace Poster Contest ( 3 prize winners)

 

• 1st prize – Patrick Yun

• Special selection – Yoori Shin

 

2012

 

• KCC Children’s Art Contest

 

• 1st Prize – Briana Lee (5th grade)

 

• Korean Thanksgiving day Art Contest

 

• Gold – Minche Kim

• Silver – Justin Kang

 

 

 

2013

 

• YeSaMo USA Art Contest (6 prize winners)

 

• Gold Prize – Erica Lee

• Bronze – Jenny Park

      -   Special selection-Patrick Yun

                            -Woon Jun Lee

                            -Hongan Nan

       -  5th-Ho Jun Lee

 

2013.   Korean-New York  Artist  Children’s Art Contest

 

-         Gold           - Minche Kim        

                    -Aaron Lee

 

                    -Doyun Kim                                

 

                    -Yaeni Kim  

                               

-              Silver        - Eu Jin  Im

                    -Katie Lee

                    -Justin Kang

 

-             Bronze      -Erin Kim

                   -Jia Lee

 

-             Special selection

                   -Jessica Nam             

                   -Eric Kim

                   -Kaylee Maeng

                   -Hyung Joo Kim

 

-             5th           -Andrew Yun                              

                              -Jonathan Maeng        

                              -Jayden Maeng

 

 

 

And the following lists are some of her students who get in to prestigious program in Art Field.

 

 

.Bergen Academy High school (Art) in 2009

 

• Jeawoo Ahn

• Barbara Yang

 

• College

 

• 2010.Rhode Island school of Design – Barbara Yang

• 2011.Maryland Institute college of Art – Marian Yang

•

2014. Korean Thanksgiving day Art Contest

 

• Grand Prize  – Minche Kim 4th

• Gold  -Caleb Lee 1st

• Siver  -Ashley Hwang 4th

•           -Yaeni Kim  6th

• Bronze –Jessica Nam  5th

•             Alex Cho  9th

• Selected –Hye-lin Kim  5th

•             -Willam Kim  3rd

•             -Jiah Lee  5th