Title: Recent Work

This group of oil paintings, created over the past two years in southern Vermont and Cape Cod, celebrates light, color, and the natural world. For me, plein air painting is an act of beginning again and again — a practice of presence, of observing without judgment, and of allowing the beauty of the world to move through me. It is a reminder of my connection to all living beings and fosters in me a sense of belonging.

Opening: December 5 at 5pm

Artist’s Statement:

Kimberly Carmody is a visual artist and art educator who has been making art her entire life and teaching for over thirty years. A Brattleboro native, she began taking art classes at River Gallery School as a child and returned in 2023 to serve as its Executive Director.

Kimberly studied ceramics and painting at The Evergreen State College and attended The New York Studio School, where she deepened her practice in drawing, painting, and sculpture from the human figure. She earned her M.A. in Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, following research in South Africa exploring the role of art education in post-apartheid communities.

In 2009, moved by the lack of accessible arts programming in New York City, she founded Urban River Arts, a community-based nonprofit modeled after River Gallery, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. There she facilitated large-scale collaborative art installations inspired by Tibetan sand mandalas at institutions including The Asia Society, The Rubin Museum of Art, and The Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Throughout her career, Kimberly has taught in public and independent schools, hospitals, and shelters—using art to inspire creativity and connection across all ages and abilities. Her own painting practice is rooted in the natural world, reflecting her ongoing dialogue between teaching and making art.