Cynthia Tom

Cynthia has been a mixed media artist all her life, born in 1960, she began to paint obsessively in the 90's/ The daughter of 2nd generation working class Chinese Americans, Cynthia grew up crafting with free, found objects and imagination. Cynthias work explores and discusses issues affecting women and women of color. She is passionate about working the realm of social justice, community engagement, spirituality and awakening the feminine. Her work has been a catalyst for personal and social change, not only for her, but for those who view and collect her work.Each art work is developed on a purely intuitive level. She listens to her muse as a process of discovery and meditation.
She has been an artist in residence at both the de Young and the Legion of Honor, San Francisco. Paintings; art installations and curatorial endeavors are the main stay of her work. Documentation about Cynthia and her work are included in Smithsonian Archives of American Art - "What is Feminist Art", CEMA -Calif. Ethnic and Multicultural Archives at UC Santa Barbara, the textbook, Women Artist of the American West, editor Susan Ressler (Purdue University, 2004)and University of Padua text book examining the Asian American Women Artists diaspora on the ...

I am self taught with many mentors amongst SF artists,. JoeSam, Chris Leib, Eleanor DickinsonPainting obsessively since 1994 and working with mixed media and creating large installations since 1991, Cynthia Tom is a self taught artist. She has learned, observed and absorbed technique and style from mentors and teachers over the years, gathering bits and pieces that all culminate into her own definitive voice.

Selected Solo Exhibitions |Artist in Residence | Public Art Awards
2017 Founder’s Gallery, San Rafael Artworks Downtown – Solo Exhibition: Awakening the Feminine
2017 stART Up SF Fair – Hotel Del Sol, juried show.
2016 Madrigal Gallery Sausalito: feminine intuition
2016 Gallery Route One, Project Space Guest Artist: Stories to Tell: Discards & Variances
2014 Towers Gallery, How to Earn Your Cloud, Cloverdale Ca.
2013 A PLACE OF HER OWN mural, 5 Elisabets, Barcelona, Catalunya, Fernado Borras curator
2010-2013 SF Arts Commission Public Art-Art in Storefronts, Chinatown, 950 GRANT AVE., SF
2006 Undiscovered Research, Exhibition in conjunction with the Artist in Residence Program,
The Legion of Honor, San Francisco

Selected Group Exhibitions
2018 J-Sei - A PLACE OF HER OWN
2017 Living in the Shadows, Rutgers’ Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities
2016 Vision: Curators Gutfreund and Cornett and Unitewomen.org; Kaleid Gallery San Jose
2015 Curatorial Residency and Director, SOMArts -A PLACE OF HER OWN
2014 Invitational Installation Artist for SOMarts Cultural Center’s DISPLACED exhibition
2014 EATING CULTURES: Stop Consuming Our Women and Children, SF CA
2013 Alchemy, Chapter 2 ,Guest ar...