Chiyoko Myose is a Japanese artist living in Wichita, Kansas, who will be Artist-In-Residence at the Red Barn Studio, Sunday, Sept. 13 through Saturday, Sept. 26. “This is my second artist residency after Umbria, Italy in 2009. The experience in Italy was wonderful and beneficial. During the time in AIR at Red Barn Studio, I would like to work on whatever project I might have or start making a new work.  This might possibly become a good time to get new ideas and start a totally different type of art than before.   I would like to spend time to observe my surroundings and listen to them more carefully.  I would like to learn more about Lester Raymer’s works and his life.  They possibly will inspire me and motivate me to create new works.  I, also, would like to explore the city of Lindsborg.  This is a very significant opportunity for me, as a Japanese woman, to stay in a city which is pretty much the center of the U.S.   Lindsborg is also unique as a city with a “Swedish” heritage.  I might experience three layers of culture in this city:  Japanese, Swedish and American.  I believe the stay in this unique city will create in me more of a perception for the state of “sojourning,” which has been a central theme of my artworks. We artists are questioning how to practice art in the next few years and even decades.  What is art, anyway?  What are the roles, values, or purposes of art?  What is the best way to exhibit my work?  Does it make sense to continue working with the same formats, materials, and disciplines?  What difference can art make?   I hope I can rethink these questions during my time in AIR at Red Barn Studio.” Chiyoko has a BA in English Literature from Doshisha Women’s College in Kyoto, Japan. After moving to the U.S. in 1995 she received a BFA in painting from Wichita State University in 2011. Her work can be seen at chiyokomyose.com.