Rawdin, Kim

Kim was born and raised in New York and attended New York Institute of Technology, majoring in Fine Arts. Very impressed as a child with images of the amazing rock formations and landscape of Arizona that he found in his school library’s collection of Arizona Highways magazine, he decided to complete his B.A. at Arizona State University. 

    Soon after graduating, an opportunity came up to teach art at  Chinle High School in Chinle. AZ.  Chinle is the home of Canyon De Chelly in the heart of the Navajo Indian reservation. Having been exclusively a painter and having very little experience with silversmithing previously, Kim was introduced to native silversmiths and discovered his strong ability for the craft. In 1984, after eight years on the reservation,  he relocated to Phoenix with his wife and three children, where he built a small jewelry studio. Combining his knowledge of modern art with Native tradition and his love of ancient Chinese poetry, he made his first collection of original works in silver. He approached a gallery in Scottsdale with this work, and it was very well received. He has continued as a professional artist and metalsmith since that time, exhibiting in many galleries across the US. In 2002, he was one of four artists selected to exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery.  His work is in the permanent collection there as well as The Museum of Arts and Design in NYC, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. His work is also in many private collections worldwide.