JK Mosaic
Jennifer Kuhns
Jennifer has been making art as long as she can remember, and began exhibiting and selling work in a variety of mediums in the early 1990s. In 2002, she applied for a business license with the goal of increasing art sales to supplement her part-time income as an employee at The Evergreen State College. After having a baby in 2003, funding for Jennifer’s position at the college was suspended due to budget cuts. Within months, she was asked to do her first commissioned mosaic installation, and she decided to focus on developing her artwork into a business, so that she could stay home with her daughter and work on her 5-acre homestead.
In 2006, Jennifer signed up for Enterprise for Equity’s program, having suffered some difficult lessons regarding contracts and payments, and feeling uneasy about her ability to operate as a real business. Within a month of graduating from the program with her completed business plan, Jennifer’s work was featured on posters and guides for the City of Olympia’s Spring Arts Walk, which gained her high visibility in the community. During the following year, Jennifer was hired for 16 commissions, including an installation for Swing Wine Bar in Olympia.
Since then, Jennifer has continued to develop her business. Locally, she has created mosaic artwork for Olympia Pediatrics, the South Kitsap Skatepark, Lawton Elementary School in Seattle, the Federal Way Senior Center, and a large number of installations in private homes. Her work includes backsplashes, cabinet doors, fireplace surrounds, stair risers, glass-on-glass window treatments, wall hangings, and even jewelry. Since 2014, her work has been installed throughout the U.S., such as in the Prudential Center in Boston, The Time Warner Center in New York, The Philadelphia and Dallas Fort Worth airports, shopping centers in Atlanta and San Francisco, and at the Banff Fairmont Springs Hotel, among others. Her work has been included in national exhibits, and she has gained a reputation for high quality, original design that celebrates color and nature.
Jennifer works in her home studio nestled in the Black Hills, 26 miles from Olympia. She tends goats, chickens, turkeys and ducks, grows and preserves much of her own food, and continues to be available for her daughter as she transitions to high school.
To see regular updates on her work, classes, and events, follow her on social media:
Years after graduation from E4E, Jennifer continues to find the organization a vital resource, both for business networking and moral support.
"I had been creating art for several years before attending Enterprise for Equity's business training program. These classes helped me to focus my energy into the business. The training reminded me of the importance of record-keeping, marketing, written policies/contacts, and more. Most of all, it was a "kick in the pants" for me to get organized and really operate my business, and it gave me the confidence I needed to make it a reality."
- Jennifer Kuhns, owner of JK Mosaics and graduate of E4E.