During her 2026 residency at KSMoCA, painter and Dr. MLK Jr. School alumnus, Kathy 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.

Out of twenty-four paintings, they selected twelve 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. 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. 

The exhibition opening takes place in the library. Please stop by the Main Office to sign in and receive a “visitor” badge when you arrive.