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870 Market Street
Suite 1028
San Francisco, CA
94102

(415) 391-0228

Jimin Lee
Korean Artist of Extraordinary Ability

by David Strand

The Bathtub - Visions of Janus
by Jimin Lee

“For Jimin Lee, the objects of her daily life have become artistic vessels to transport the viewer thought selection, scale, focus, cropping and color, Lee has transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary”

- Robert Flynn Johnson -
Curator-in-Charge
Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

An artist of extraordinary ability! The immigration service agreed by approving an O-1 visa petition filed on her behalf. O-1 is a nonimmigrant visa category for those who have “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, baseness or athletics…”

I was in full agreement. Although our office has successfully prepared O-1 petitions on behalf of a number of talented artists, I personally find the art work of Jimin Lee the most extraordinary.

Jimin Lee was born in 1965 in Korea where she graduated from Seoul National University with a BFA in painting and an MFA in printmaking. She subsequently studied printmaking at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and received a second MFA in printmaking from San Francisco Institute of Art.

When I met Jimin Lee she was a Fellow at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California, a distinguished institution whose mission is to provide a diverse, international body of artists with the tools, techniques and facilities to create works of art. It was founded in 1974 as a working facility to provide artists with technical assistance and advanced printmaking equipment. Kala was sufficiently impressed by Ms. Lee to offer her a position as an instructor. She had also been offered the opportunity to display and sell her artwork in various galleries and was interested in teaching at a university.

The immigration issue was to qualify Ms. Lee for a visa status that would allow her to work in these various capacities. Foreigners require work authorization to work in the United States. Most categories authorizing employment limit employment to a specific employer who petitions for the foreigner worker.

The O-1 visa category allows petitions to be filed not only by prospective employers, but by agents. We suggested that Kala Institute could submit an O-1 petition for Ms. Lee both as an employer and an agent.

First we had to demonstrate her eligibility for a visa category designed for foreigners “of extraordinary ability”. To demonstrate “extraordinary ability” in the arts it is necessary to submit evidence in a variety of categories, including critical reviews in newspapers or trade organizations, a record of major commercial or critical acclaimed success, and significant recognition from organizations, critics, government agencies and other recognized experts in the field.

When preparing O-1 petitions for artists we purposefully do not emphasize presentation of their actual art work, because we do not want the determination of artistic ability to be made by an immigration official. Appreciation of art work is very subjective. We want the decision to be based upon the opinion of experts as reflected in reviews, participation in exhibits and inclusion in art publications.

In Ms. Lee’s case, for example, we submitted a list of over thirty five exhibits in which her art work had been displayed; over fifteen articles about her; nine letters of recommendation by gallery owners, academics, curators and professional printmakers; and a list of twenty awards she had received. Evidence of the awards included, in instances, photocopies of actual ribbons.

It is also necessary to submit a schedule of events in which the artist will be participating: We listed twelve exhibits over a two year period.

It is also generally required to submit an advisory opinion by a labor anion or professional organization in the field of endeavor of the beneficiary of an O-1 petition. In Ms. Lee’s case we submitted an advisory organization of the California Arts Council conforming that she qualified as an artist of extraordinary ability and that her perspective services of the Kala Institute required an artist of her extraordinary level of professional and artistic achievement.

Our office has prepared a number of O-1 petitions for outstanding artists. To me, the art work of Jimin Lee is the most spectacular of all. Her portfolio is viewable on our website.  

Jimin Lee is now a permanent resident of the United States and an associate professor and head of the print media program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Once again America has benefited from the talent, creativity and energy of its immigrants.