The Stanley Museum of Art stands on the outskirts of downtown Iowa City. Its modern architecture holds pieces from many household names for students and citizens of Iowa City alike to gaze at with awe. Among them are artists such as Jackson Pollock and Grant Wood. Another name is Jiha Moon. Moon, a graduate of Iowa’s Masters of Fine Arts program in 2002 and a Guggenheim fellow spoke about their mural, “One An Another” on Thursday, Sept. 5. The mural will be a part of Stanley’s “Threshold” series.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Daily Iowan: How did your experience getting a master’s degree in fine arts from the UI help you throughout your career?

Jiha Moon: I was here for about three years and during that time I met my husband. He helped me, he was one of the assistants for this mural. I was originally going to go to school elsewhere in a larger city, but I ended up coming to Iowa and it was a very different experience. I got to have a lot of closer relationships with my colleagues and professors.

What did it mean for you to create this mural here at your alma mater?

I haven’t been able to come [back to Iowa] since 2002, so it was mind-blowing [to be back]. It was a very emotional trip. It was a very personal experience. I worked on it for about a year. I’m a studio artist, I usually do work all by myself in my studio, so I have all the control. But here, people come in and out and watch me, almost like a painting monkey. My process is very based on spontaneity, so there are some parts I plan, but I largely rely on mark-making and drawing. So doing that in public was a little nerve-racking. I worked with three different groups here. My family — my husband and son — museum staff, and two students from the university helped. So, managing those groups, I wasn’t very confident even though I’m a teacher myself. There is a lot of trust I have to build, that was a very unique experience for me, but I have also learned a lot through that process.

“One An Another” was created with the help of Andy Moon Wilson, Oliver Moon Wilson, Ysabel Flores, Hannah Keats, Shaun Mallonga, and Carter White. Does your Korean upbringing influence your art?

I grew up in South Korea. I went to Korea University and then Ewha Womans University for my MFA, so when I came to the States I was grown up. I was twenty-six years old. I came here [Iowa] to get my second MFA. When I was there [Korea] doing my work, I was doing oil on canvases, more Westernized materials. Being Korean in Korea wasn’t an issue because we’re all very similar, almost like a monoculture, so that was a big wake-up call. I wasn’t very curious about that, so after I arrived here, I started looking into where I came from and what my heritage was that I didn’t pay attention to. There is this in-betweenness in my work. I look at myself, recognizing who I am and where I’m coming from much more often in the United States. There’s almost this purgatorial state, where I belong to both places [US and Korea] and I don’t belong anywhere.

You are a Guggenheim Fellow, what does such a prestigious honor mean to you?

I won Guggenheim last year. It means so much because it was something that I wanted and applied for several times, I got it and I was very happy. I still want a lot more, so it’s kind of the beginning of something serious now.

What are you hoping the audience will get out of your piece and lecture?

I have no expectations. That question is really important, but I always leave it open, because every moment is an educational moment. But, I don’t want my work to be lecturing somebody. I find that storytelling always aids people. It helps them get closer to a good art experience and makes the gap feel smaller.