Kris Timken was born in Ohio. In the ‘80s she headed west to attend Stanford University where she earned a degree in history. An artist who has exhibited in the United States and Europe, she was the owner of the gallery 365 Hayes in San Francisco.
In 2011 Timken completed a dual MFA and MA degree in Social Practice and Visual and Critical studies from the California College of the Arts. While in graduate school, she began to research The New Explorers. After graduation, Timken traveled to New York to meet artist Marie Lorenz and participate in her circumnavigation of Long Island—a 200-mile odyssey. Timken completed a PhD in Visual Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2020. She currently divides her time between Vashon, Washington and Portland, Or.