Helen Jungsun Kang

Helen Jungsun is an environmentalist who has devoted her career to protecting the health of communities in areas with the most pollution and fewer environmental amenities. In addition to reducing pollution to protect public health, her advocacy has also led to protecting the San Francisco Bay’s dwindling wetlands, including at a national wildlife refuge. Her art practice in watercolor and oil media enables immersing herself in nature, experiencing its restorative strength. Painting the areas proximate to the activists with whom she has collaborated in the past revives her optimism in the resilience of people and places. She is part of East Bay Painters, an informal group of plein air landscape artists. She was selected to participate in a week-long juried Bay Area paint-out in 2023 (Frank Bette Center for the Arts). This year, she organized a highly successful show featuring over 45 artists to benefit pro-democracy groups and has also funded them on her own through art sales.