EDUCATION
Masters of Fine Arts Degree, Interdisciplinary Arts, UC Berkeley, 1998-2000
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Painting, Fine Arts Program, UCLA, 1989-1993
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2014- Associate Professor, Drawing, Colorado State University
2008-14 Assistant Professor, Drawing, Colorado State University
2005-07 Lecturer, Department of Fine Art, College of Santa Fe
1999-2000 Art Instructor, University of California at Berkeley
1998-1999 Teaching Assistant, University of California at Berkeley
CREATIVE AND ACADEMIC AWARDS & HONORS
2020 Best Teacher Award Nominee, Colorado State University Alumni Assoc.
2020 College of Liberal Arts Purchase Award, CSU, Fort Collins, CO
2019 Visiting Artist, Art Students League, Denver, CO
2018 Demonstration Artist, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
2016 Artist in Residence Grant, Children’s Museum of Denver, CO
2014 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, New York, NY
2014 Jentel Artist Residency and Award, Banner, WY
2014 Best Teacher Award Nominee, Colorado State University Alumni Assoc.
2013 Professional Development Grant, Colorado State University
2013 Second Place Award, Madelon Powers Gallery, East Stroudsburg, PA
2012 Professional Development Grant, Colorado State University
2012 Creative Capital Workshop Grant, New York, NY
2010 Professional Development Grant, Colorado State University
2010 Santa Fe Art Institute Residency, Santa Fe, NM
2010 Faculty Development Grant, Colorado State University
2009 Professional Development Grant, Colorado State University
2009 Best of Show, Deborah Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Colorado Art Education Association Scholarship Nominee, Denver, CO
2009 Art 342 Residency, Fort Collins, CO
2008 Professional Development Grant, Colorado State University
SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2022 Delicate Balance, Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO
2021 Ajean Lee Ryan, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX
2016 Enlinked, Enlaced, Enamored, UNC Mariani Gallery, Greeley, CO
2015 Lebenswelt, University of Michigan Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
2014 Ajean Lee Ryan, Firehouse Art Center, Longmont, CO
2014 Small Pleasures, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS
2012 Ajean Lee Ryan, Fort Collins Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO
2011 Admonish the Tender-Hearted, Ice Cube Gallery, Denver, CO
2010 Ajean Lee Ryan: New Work, Hixon House, Fort Collins, CO
2009 Summer Snow, Ft Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, Ft Collins, CO
2008 Huffing and Puffing, Directions Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2008 The Mute Awoke, AC2 Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 The Paths We Cross: Perspectives from the Korean Diaspora, University of Hawaii Wailoa Center, Hilo, HI
2024 Selfhood, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2023 Drawing from Perception, Invention, and Memory, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
2023 The West Through a New Lens, Parker Center for the Arts, Parker, CO
2023 Drawn From The Source, Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO
2023 Assigned, Clara Hatton Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2022 See Through 2, Wolverine Publick House, Fort Collins, CO
2022 Drawn, Indiana University Art Gallery, Kokomo, IN
2022 Landscape Studio, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
2022 Art of the State, Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO
2021 Throughlines, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
2021 Hello, Goodbye, The Space Annex, Denver, CO
2021 Shear Madness: Contemporary Collage, The Northville Art House, Northville, MI
2020 Linework, Mai Wyn Fine Art, Denver, CO
2019 Paper West, University of Utah Art Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
2019 Paperworks 2019, B.J. Spoke Gallery, Huntington, NY (Award and Exhibition)
2019 Odds and Ends, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
2018 In the Fields: Botanical Lore, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
2018 Abstraction at Large, Site:Brooklyn, Brooklyn,NY (Curated by Eleanor Heartney)
2018 Pink Progression II, Center for Contemporary Arts, Denver, CO
2018 Pink Progression, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO
2018 Fugue States: Three Contemporary Artists, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
2018 Pink Progression, Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO
2017 Faculty Exhibition, Clara Hatton Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2017 Interstate, Sara Spurgeon Gallery, Central Washington University, WA
2017 Annual Contemporary Art Survey, The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO
2017 Needle and Thread, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, Ellensburg, WA
2016 Atypical Topographies, Clyde Snook Gallery, Adams State University, CO
2016 The Retrieval of the Beautiful, The Painting Center, New York, NY
2015 The Color Exhibition, Gallery Nine-Seventy, Loveland, CO
2015 Biennial 600, Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, TX
2014 Salvage: Eight Contemporary Artists, Parkland Art Gallery, Champaign, IL (catalogue)
2014 Artists Eye on History: Fort Collins at 150, Fort Collins Museum of Art, CO
2014 From Here to There, The Elysium Gallery, Swansea, Wales
2014 Works on Paper, Harper College, Palatine, IL
2013 Northern Colorado Invitational, Fort Collins Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO
2013 Marks, National Drawing Exhibition, Madelon Powers Art Gallery, East Stroudsburg University, PA (catalogue)
2013 A Fine Line: Contemporary Drawing, Claypool-Young Gallery, Morehead State University, KY
2013 Mixed Media Exhibition, Women’s Caucus for Art, Denver, CO
2013 Exquisite Corpse, Groundswell Gallery, Denver, CO
2013 Flower Power, Sebastapol Center for the Arts, Sebastapol, CA
2013 Opening Exhibition, Downtown Artery, Fort Collins, CO
2013 Art of the State, Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO (catalogue)
2012 Glitz, Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Dowell, MD
2012 25 September Exhibition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
2012 Paint the Town Red, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
2012 Creative Capital Exhibition, Colorado State Capital Building, Denver, CO
2011 1:1: Invitational and Group Exhibition, Ice Cube Gallery, Denver, CO
2011 Drawing Discourse: 2nd Annual Contemporary Drawing Exhibition, UNC Asheville, Asheville, NC
2011 Making the Leap: Crossing Borders, A.I.R Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2010 Arts Invitational, Fort Collins Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO
2010 Drawing from CU and CSU, Directions Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2010 Transfigured Night 3, Kerry Parker Civic Gallery, Adelaide, Australia
2010 Treasure Map On My Hand: Recent Work by Ajean Lee Ryan, The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO
2010 Warm, Clara Hatton Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2009 Architectural Spaces, The Lodi Project, Raleigh, NC
2009 Materialization, Deborah Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 The Concept of Contemporary Art, Gallery Meepyung, Seoul, S. Korea
2009 Art & Criticism, Seoul Art Fair 2009, Seoul, S. Korea
2009 International Biennial 2009, Hun Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Faculty Exhibition, Hatton Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
2008 Terra Firma, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2008 Lost: The Art of the Found Object, Gallery RFD, Swainsboro, GA
2007 Collect, Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM
COLLABORATIONS
2016 Nkisi Project, Gallery 965, Metropolitan State College of Denver, CO
2014 Ingrained, Ice Cube Gallery, Denver, CO
2014 Sentient, Redline Gallery, Denver, CO
2013 Exquisite Corpse, Groundswell Gallery, Denver, CO
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024 Canvasrebel.com, https://canvasrebel.com/meet-ajean-ryan/
2020 Denver Arts District.org, “Linework: Mai Wyn Gallery”
2016 Children’s Museum Artists.com, “Meet Ajean Ryan”
2016 The Jealous Curator, “Dimensional Drawings- Ajean Ryan”
2014 Gluck, Eleanor, I Am News Online Magazine, “Elysium Gallery’s From Here to There- An Opening Night Review”
2014 Coon, Rachel, Fort Collins Magazine, “Ajean Lee Ryan”
2014 Bromley, Patrick, The Chicago Tribune, “Mini-Masterpieces Featured in New Art Exhibition”
2013 Nick, Stacy, The Coloradoan, “Invitational Showcases the Diversity, Talent of Local Artists”
2013 Hirst, Leslie, The Morehead News, “A Fine Line Opens”
2013 Froyd, Susan, Westword.com, “Exquisite Corpse in Bits and Pieces”
2012 Nick, Stacy, The Coloradoan, “Those Who Can”
2012 The Coloradoan, “Top Picks”, “Ajean Ryan at the Fort Collins Museum of Art”
2011 3250 Magazine, “Best Bets”, “Ajean Lee Ryan at Ice Cube Gallery”
2011 Newyorkartbeat.com, “Events to Watch”
2010 AIRGalleryblog.com, “Making the Leap: Crossing Borders Exhibition Reception Highlights”
2010 SFAI.Org blog “Art Institute’s August Residents: Ajean Lee Ryan”
2010 Scenesavvant.com “Warm: Ajean Lee Ryan”, Scene Magazine Online, Exhibition Reviews
2009 Artforum.com “Artguide: Regional Exhibitions: Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art: Ajean Ryan:Summer Snow
2009 Beet Street “Re:Beat Interview with Art 342 Artists: Ajean Lee Ryan
2009 Sketchpages.blogspot.com, Drawing with Materials: Ajean Lee Ryan
2009 Artslant.com, Exhibition Reviews
2009 Durrell, Jane, “January Reviews”, Aeqai Journal of Visual Arts
2008 ArtsinOhio.com, “Terra Firma: A Survey of Different Approaches”
2008 Logan Greeley, “Ajean Lee Ryan”, Local IQ Magazine
2008 Dirt City Radio, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2008 Maren Tarro, “Events to Watch”, The Alibi Magazine
CURATORIAL/ JURIES/ LECTURES
2023 Artist Talk, Drawn from the Source, Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO
2022 Artist Talk, See Through 2, Wolverine Publick House, Fort Collins, CO
2019 Artist Talk, Art Students’ League of Denver, Denver, CO
2015 Visiting Artist, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2014 Artist Talk, Invited Speaker, Fort Collins Museum of Art, CO
2014 Visiting Artist, Metropolitan State University, Denver, CO
2013 Artist Talk, Northern Colorado Invitational, Fort Collins Museum of Art, CO
2013 Artist Talk, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA
2013 Gallery Talk, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA
2013 Artist Talk, Invited Lecturer, Asian and Pacific American Association, CSU
2013 Invited Panelist, Meet the Faculty, College of Liberal Arts, CSU
2012 Artist Talk, Solo Show Gallery Talk, Fort Collins Museum of Art, Ft Collins, CO
2012 Juror, Art and Science Exhibition, Colorado State University
2012 Juror, Poudre Library District, Art in Public Places
2012 Artist Talk, Invited Lecturer, Asian and Pacific American Association, CSU
2012 Invited Panelist, Meet the Faculty, College of Liberal Arts, CSU
2011 Juror, Creative Gardens Art Exhibition, Fort Collins
2011 Invited Panelist, Loveland Artists Discussion Panel- Loveland Museum
2011 Artist Talk, Invited Lecturer, Asian and Pacific American Association, CSU
2010 Artist Talk, Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO
2009 Juror, Roots: Juried Arts Exhibition, Colorado State University
2009 Juror, Art 342 Artist Residency, Ft Collins, CO