Poster with artwork by Lyric. Poster design by Rodeo Studio at Portland State University
Kathy Pennington + Harriet Tubman Centerfor Expanded Curatorial Practice
March 12, 2026 - May 28, 2026
Kathy Pennington was KSMoCA’s winter 2026 artist-in-residence. A painter who lives and works in Northeast Portland, she has been part of that community for more than fifty years. Her paintings document the everyday lives of Black Portlanders. A long-time resident of the Albina neighborhood and former student at Dr. MLK Jr. Pennington has witnessed the decline of what was once a vibrant, thriving, close-knit Black community.
Central to her practice is the desire to recall these memories through the examination of contemporary Black life in Portland. From churches and bus stops, to car washes and restaurants, her paintings pay homage to the Black quotidian: friends catching up over lunch; familiar cityscapes; brightly colored outfits on Easter Sunday; scenes from the local barbershop, and everything in between. In doing so, she not only seeks to visually reaffirm the cultural presence of Black people in Portland, but intentionally paints familiar scenes with the hope that they will connect with them emotionally, engendering a desire to collect Black art.
According to Pennington, creating artwork of Black people, for Black people, is what drives her practice. “I always wanted black people to have art in their homes that represented them. Because you couldn't just go and buy Black art in Portland when I was growing up,” said Pennington.
Pennington was born in 1953 in Seattle, Washington. Her painting style was developed through a formal educational journey at both Oregon State University and Pacific Northwest College of Art, and a broader education that took place in the community through friends and partnerships with local artists. Four of her pieces were a part of the Black Artists of Oregon exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. Her artwork was also shown in the Kwanzaa on Killingsworth art show held in the historic Albina Arts Center.
As a part of this residency, the Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice at MLK School selected artworks from Pennington’s personal archive to create an exhibition of her life’s work at KSMoCA.
Kathy Pennington, Winter 2025-2026 KSMoCA Visiting Artist
Curatorial Workshops with Kathy Pennington + Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice at MLK School
During her residency at KSMoCA, Pennington collaborated with the Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice at MLK School to curate an exhibition of her work at KSMoCA. This group of fourth and fifth grade students learned about the curatorial process by participating in workshops at Dr. MLK Jr. School and by going on field trips to the Portland Art Museum where they met with curators and museum professionals to learn about the various stages of exhibition planning.
They selected 17 paintings depicting a range of subjects and places: churches and bus stops; car washes and restaurants; friends catching up over lunch; familiar cityscapes; brightly colored outfits on Easter Sunday; scenes from the local barbershop, and everything in between.
Artist Panel Discussion and Exhibition Opening with Kathy Pennington + Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice at MLK School
Student curators gathered in the library at Dr. MLK Jr. to host a public panel discussion with KSMoCA visiting artist Kathy Pennington, Over the previous ten weeks, they worked together to curate the exhibition opening that day. Seated before an audience of students, teachers, and PSU student mentors, the 16 curators passed a microphone between them, asking questions they carefully prepared ahead of time.
Pennington spoke about drawing since childhood and encouraged the students to “draw what you feel, draw what you see, draw what you think.” When asked how she felt about the students’ portraits of her, she said: “I totally, totally, totally love them all… I’m just really impressed. You guys have talent—keep it up.”
Moderated by Lisa Jarrett, the curators reflected on the challenge of choosing artworks together, describing both the difficulty and the shared satisfaction of collaboration. Attendees received copies of zines about Kathy’s life and work and the Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice at MLK School.
Installation documentation
