Kristan L Ryan

Artist Statement

Artists need to speak up and out for all people and animals suffering for whatever reason. My art projects are all considered political, but it's important to stand up and speak out for those who feel they can't. The universe gave artists the talent to serve for the rights of suffering humanity and creatures, so fight bravely and with out fear. I do.

Biography

I was first taught by my father, who was from Lake Charles, LA, and in the military as a technician. As a toddler he taught me to draw and paint simple things, but my father suffered from PTSD from WWII and was violent, so as I grew older my parents divorced and returned to America from Casablanca, Morocco, where we were living at that time. I continued to teach myself how to do art.

I grew up in Germany where German was my first language and English my second, and then in Morocco, but came to the US at the age of 10, to Lynchburg, VA., where my mother's family lived; however, my parents were both Americans. I dropped out of high school at the age of 16 because I could not adjust to America for numerous reasons and because in elementary school I was beaten up after school by some American children who hated that I spoke multiple languages when I got confused.

Later I attended college at 26 after earning a GED because I had multiple children and felt it important to earn a degree. Though my family and others had no belief in me, I applied to Regents College in New York and then for my master's degree at New York University where I was accepted and later to the University of London where I earned my doctorate in Adult Vocational Education. I earned a mathematics degree because I need work, and then later needed to support my children as a single mother, so I earned a doctorate in Adult Learners and Vocational Education. Even so I did not have the freedom to study art...believe me when I say my life was complicated; however, now I am a full-time artist and am just being acknowledged by the art community for my protest work. I lived and worked in China for 4 years recently and returned to America three years ago. I speak fluent Chinese.

Exhibition History (CV)