2009 STARS Hall of Fame
Katherine Aoki
Artist • Printmaker • Professor
Rio Americano HS
Kathy Aoki is a rigorously witty visual artist whose satirical work—spanning prints, installations, performance, and animation—challenges cultural norms around gender, beauty, and institutional power. A Rio Americano High School graduate, Kathy earned her BA in French at UC Berkeley and later received her MFA in Printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis.
She now teaches as the Lee & Seymour Graff Professor and Associate Dean of Studio Art at Santa Clara University, where she has shaped the printmaking and digital arts curriculum since 2003. Her work is held in major institutions: the Champions of Market Street linocut series is part of the Met’s permanent collection, and her pieces live on in SFMOMA, Harvard Art Museums, NYPL, PAFA, Crocker Art Museum, and others.
Kathy’s recent work includes the immersive Koons Ruins project—a Creative Capitol grant-winning series—developed through collaborations with students and featured virtually at Salesforce Tower in 2025. She continues to exhibit widely, earning residencies and awards like the Lucas Artist Fellowship and Silicon Valley Artist Laureate.
She maintains an online presence via her website, kaoki.com, and on Instagram as @kathy_aoki_artist, where she shares her evolving work and upcoming exhibitions
“My thanks go to Mr. Sugimoto and the rest of the Rio Americano faculty for preparing me for a career as artist and instructor.”
