Frank Thong (he/him)

Frank Thong was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and earned a BFA in Ceramics, a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship with and Asian Studies certificate from the Kansas City Art Institute.  Currently, he is artist in resident at both the KC Clay Guild and Charlotte Street Foundation and has previously been an artist in resident at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemet, Hungary.  He has received various grants such as the McKeown Special Project Award, Nathan and Thelma Notkin Ceramic Award, and the William Lee Scholarship.  Growing us as an Asian-American, Frank has always felt like an outlier among his peers.  His work focuses on the balance between Eastern and Western influences which is contextualized through his cultural identity.  Previously, Frank has conducted social gatherings to encourage the growth of the Asian community at the Kansas City Art Institute.  Frank further plans to utilize his experiences and education to create spaces for the local Asian-American community to share, connect, and create.