Kym Young theArtist
K ym’s story is a tale that grew like a beautifully gnarled tree, its roots dug deep in cultural influence and it’s branches reaching far out to the four corners of the country. Each twist of the trunk or turn of a branch represented an experience that helped sculpt her character and her art into what they are today.
Growing up in a military family, Kym traveled frequently. She naturally developed the spirit of a wanderer. Every summer, however, was spent in New Mexico learning to identify artistically with her Indian roots and getting in touch with her Laguna Pueblo family history. She felt a strong, innate connection to the land. She soon learned that this bond was woven with the very history of the pueblo people and it came with deep feeling of belonging and purpose.
“I’ve found that The Laguna Pueblo people are all, each and every one of them, intrinsically artistic. So much history is spoken through our pottery. We feel that we are the tools that help shape the gifts that the earth gave us into cultural treasures.”
She feels passionately about the preservation of the Pueblo people’s history and culture through artistic expression.When discussing the tragedy of the Laguna Pueblo’s diminishing influence she commented,
“There is just such a wealth of artistic knowledge and lore. Our religious activities also keep our culture alive and thriving.”
Kym’s broad spectrum of mediums allow her to tell the story of the Pueblo people through her work. She was chosen as one of five students out of three hundred thousand to receive a full ride scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. That good fortune provided experiences in classical drawing and painting, sculpture, design, jewelry, and professional practices.
​
Kym's heart naturally drew her back to New Mexico and her pueblo of Laguna to study her culturally traditional arts, such as sewing, leather-work, and pottery. Loving the feel of clay propelled her to combine her jewelry making and pottery to create the handmade, hand-painted pendants that are now the beautiful signature piece of the new Mindful Kindness Movement.
​
With a wide range of artistic abilities combined with her strong cultural roots, Kym Young has been able to give us the visually stunning and culturally saturated art work you will find here on this portfolio site.
