Her Story
About Miné
Bridging European and Asian artistic traditions through her roots in Istanbul—a historic crossroads where both continents meet—Miné Ternar Kal integrates a deeply transcontinental, multicultural perspective into her work as an educator, fine artist, and community leader. Her global academic trajectory spans the historic Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Bennington College in Vermont—which she attended on a full scholarship—and UC Berkeley, where she earned her MFA in Art Practice. Grounded in cultural fluidity, open dialogue, and community access, she excels at convening diverse populations across geographic and cultural boundaries through extensive liaison work with institutions such as the Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, Pro Arts, New Langton Arts, and the Kala Art Institute. Her active exhibition record includes a solo show at the Artisan Gallery in Istanbul (2011) along with numerous juried and faculty art exhibitions across the San Francisco Bay Area.
A champion of civic message design, Prof. Kal participated in the notable Health Through Art Project: with her piece titled "Stop Smoking" (1997–1999), where her award-winning poster design was selected to be prominently displayed across public buses in Alameda County for two years, leveraging visual art to foster public wellness.
As a full-time professor at City College of San Francisco with prior faculty appointments at California College of the Arts and the San Francisco Art Institute, Prof. Kal has consistently expanded the scope of higher education art programs. She currently coordinates student scholarships for the Art Department, driving initiatives that make creative education accessible to all, and served as a faculty advisor on the college’s Diego Rivera website project.
During her tenure as Director of the City College Art Gallery (1998–2001, 2003–2007), Prof. Kal curated and coordinated numerous individual, juried, and group exhibitions that bridged student education with global and digital art movements. She organized juried student exhibitions and spearheaded numerous fundraising art sales to support gallery programming and student opportunities. Landmark showcases under her leadership included High Touch / Low Tech, which examined the shift between tactile studio crafts and emerging digital tools; a notable two-part Bay Area Juried Annual exhibition in the late 1990s featuring guest curator Renny Pritikin; Arab Women in the Arts, amplifying marginalized, cross-cultural perspectives on memory and identity; and a feature with the California Society of Printmakers, connecting students directly with the Bay Area's radical print traditions.
At the intersection of fine arts and tech, Prof. Ternar Kal was also an early pioneer in distance learning for studio arts. Prior to her full-time appointment at CCSF, she gained industry experience as an Intranet designer for a Silicon Valley engineering firm—a role that deepened her technical fluency. Today, inspired by innovative organizations like Future Arts—whose mission to bridge traditional studio practices with emerging technology aligns with her vision—she actively supports initiatives at the frontier of creative tech, looking forward to serving as a mentor for their community. Together with her championing of ecological efforts like the Soapbox Project, she continues to advocate for the evolving role of the artist at the dynamic intersection of technology, culture, and community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Miné
01What do you attribute your success to?
When I reflect on my journey, it has always been driven by creative conviction, continuous learning, and a care for the community I serve. Success, to me, comes down to showing up with discipline, proactively seeking new horizons, and consistently doing work I believe in. Fostering authentic connections with my students and colleagues has been the true anchor of my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I received was that true expertise is built through consistent practice—you simply have to do the work. Excellence comes from immersing yourself in the craft, stepping up to contribute wherever you can, and actively engaging with a community of like-minded creators and organizations.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Honor and master traditional fine art processes, but never hesitate to embrace new technologies and adapt as the landscape evolves. Above all, trust your creative voice and have confidence in your unique capacity to create. Art requires time, space, and deep concentration—which often means seeking time alone away from distractions—but it does not thrive in complete isolation. Seek out like-minded communities for mentorship, support, and collaboration, and let those human connections sustain your growth.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The defining challenge and opportunity in fine art today is navigating career sustainability while honoring the vital role art plays in society. Throughout human history, creativity has been a fundamental language through which people communicate. In times when societies become consumed by the world’s challenges, artists carry the responsibility to awaken people to the enduring significance and beauty of art.
At the same time, practical realities cannot be ignored—full-time teaching positions are exceedingly difficult to come by, and surviving on artistic practice alone is a hurdle. The opportunity lies in equipping artists to thrive on both levels: cultivating traditional mastery and technological fluency, alongside strong communication skills and business literacy. By situating themselves in supportive creative communities, artists can gain the backing they need to build sustainable, multifaceted careers while continuing to inspire and uplift the world around them.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The core principles that guide my life and work are integrity, community, and respect—for ourselves, for one another, and for the environment. I am guided by a desire to foster peace, support people both locally and globally, and create work that reminds us of our connection to one another, to nature, and to the creative energy that drives life in the universe. For me, true fulfillment comes from living and creating in harmony with the world and the people around me.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.