Starting with zany and colorful comics on the back of her father’s work papers, Yuko (she/they) has since honed her illustrations into stories and editorials that evoke whimsy, humility, and curiosity. In addition to her formally-trained illustration practice, she explores interdisciplinary collaborations to advocate for “arts-thinking’’ in non-traditional settings. Such endeavors have led her to research and team opportunities in fields such as healthcare, community development, education, technology, and social work.
She earned her BFA in Illustration with Honors from the Rhode Island School of Design and has received recognition and exhibit opportunities from Society of Illustrators NYC, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, Creative Quarterly, BallPit Mag, Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis, and 3×3 – The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration. Her illustration practice involves freelancing with various nonprofit, commercial, startup, and independent clients as well as pursuing personal work through paintings and short-form narratives. From 2019-2021, she was an Artist Fellow with North Shore Community Development Coalition through Enterprise Community Partners Rose Fellowship, a national program which places designers and cultural practitioners with affordable housing organizations. In 2021, she completed two community focused artist residencies through Boston’s Pao Arts Center and Urbano Project. She’s a proud auntie, has an oatmeal Instagram (@yukoats), and hopes that one day she’ll learn how to ride a bike.