My paintings are centered around family, including my ancestors, whose guidance and protection surround me at all times. Some of my work depicts actual family members and attempts to capture the moments that all families know – that of the embrace or warmth of sisters proudly standing together, or nieces and uncles horsing around. Others combine those images with glimpses of the ancestors, and their subtle or not so subtle conversations about their embrace of the living. Other work draws only from the spiritual plane, with manifestations of guardians, protectors, tricksters and other entities who appear without forethought in the act of painting. Sometimes they reflect specific spiritual traditions from family roots, and others combine African and American traditions in ways that capture the essence of our African American ancestry.
I hope that viewers are able to see something of themselves and those they love in each painting, be it in the glance of one eye, the bend of a knee and an elbow, the smile on a face elated or the absences of human form where animals convey similar glances. Simply put, they serve as a reminder of the reflections of spirit and soul.
In 1982 I began making dolls. Within the year, Faith Ringgold recommended me for inclusion in a major national magazine. I make OOAK dolls using materials collected over the years on five continents. I’ve used different clay bodies, but mostly use Japanese paper clay. Combining hard and soft, ornamental and structural, I employ leather, raffia, bones, fabric, semi-precious stones, recycled fur, wood, beads and bells, found objects, paint, etc.
I create a cacophony of semiology beginning with faces, heads, hands and feet. I select the first element that calls to me, which is taken from concept to completion. The first finished doll becomes the Spirit of the Table.
I assemble them in related stages, based on needed materials. Sometimes, I sketch out ideas for dolls, indicating specific colors, and materials. Each one completed leads to the next, comprising the family of the Spirit of the Table.
I leave visible stitches and knots because my dolls reflect our flawed humanity - constructed out of whole cloth and assembled in a mishmash of language, identity, family, culture, emotion, and spirituality; and they reinforce the hand/craft connection with each doll.
Camp’s artwork has appeared in over 100 solo and group exhibitions, including the American Craft Museum, Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, International Sculpture Center, University of Michigan, Manchester Craftsman’s Guild, and Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects, where her work was featured on the cover of the exhibition catalog. Recent exhibitions include Dolls, Idols and Ideals at InLiquid Gallery and solo exhibition, Kimberly Camp: Cross River – A Parallel Universe at the Huntingdon Museum of Art. In 2020, Camp received the ACC Award of Excellence: Art Makes Us Human. She received the Gold Award Best of Show from the 51st Annual Peters Valley Craft Fair. Camp received a Craft Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2025 and the coveted New Jersey Heritage Fellowship, the state's highest honor in folk and traditional arts, providing a one-time award of $20,000 to exemplary local master artists.
Gallup Leadership Institute
Certificate Program
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
MS, Arts Administration
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
BA, Studio Art and Art History
2025
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Crafts Fellowship
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Heritage Fellowship
2021
Gold Award Best of Show, Peters Valley Craft Fair
2020
Award of Excellence: Craft Makes us Human, American Craft Council
1999
Roger L. Stevens Award for Contributions to the Arts and Culture, H. John Heinz School of Public Policy and Administration, Carnegie Mellon University
1994
Spirit of Detroit, Detroit City Council
1984
National Conference of Artists National Service Award
City of Camden Arts Achievement Award
1985, 1986
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Achievement in Painting
1985
Association of Negro Business and Professional Women Community Service Award
1986
New Jersey State Senate Citation
Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission Award "Builders of the Community"
1988
Purchase Award, J.B. Speed Art Museum/ Louisville Chapter Links, Inc.
1994
Award of Distinction, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation
2008
Forbes, Dennis, "Studios and Workspaces of Black American Artists"
NBC Today, CNN Headline News, CBS Sunday Morning, ZDF, National Public Radio, City TV Ontario, Fox Broadcasting, Washington Post, Washington Times, Voice of America, Nyheterna; Nick News, MSNBC, New York Times, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, U.S. News and World Report, and other local, regional, national and international media outlets.
Essence
The Baltimore Sun
National Geographic World
Horizon, Pitt Magazine
The Philadelphia Tribune
The New York Times
The Courier Post
Shooting Star Review
The Village Voice
Apprise Magazine
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Dallas Morning Star
Artspeak
Washington Flyer
Roanoke Times and World News
FiberArts
American Crafts Council Newsletter
The Crafts Report
Smithsonian Magazine
Ebony
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Cooper’s Ferry Partnership/City of Camden NJ, Rutgers Camden Center for the ArtsCurator, A New View Camden
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Adjunct Faculty, Visual Arts Management, Antoinette Westphal College of Design and Media Arts Administration MS program
2013 - Present
Galerie Marie, LLC, Collingswood, NJ
President
2015 - 2016
Lincoln University, Oxford, PA
Senior Lecturer
2007 - 2011
CEO Richland Public Facilities District
Hanford Reach Interpretive Center
1998 - 2005
The Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA
President and CEO
1994 - 1998
Museum of African American History (MAAH), Washington, DC
President
1989 - 1994
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Director, The Experimental Gallery
Perkins Center for the Arts, Collingswood, NJ
Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
Baron College, Philadelphia, PA
Longwood Gardens, Chester, PA
Winchester Public Schools, Winchester, VA
Banneker-Douglass Museum, Annapolis, MD
Camden Historical Society, NJ
Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Museum, Washington, DC
Smithsonian Institution Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Roanoke, VA
2005 - 2007
Pennsylvania Council for the Arts
Consultant, Strategies for Success Program
2005 - 2006
The Freelon Group for Wachovia Bank
Consultant for program planning for the new Afro American Cultural Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
2005
Acadia Summer Arts Program, Bar Harbor, ME
Artist in Residence
1997 - 2000
Kellogg National Leadership Program
Fellow
1992
The Getty Center for Education in the Arts Discipline Based Arts Education and Cultural Diversity, Barton Creek, TX
Facilitator
1991
Japan Ministry of Construction/Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
Visiting Research Scholar
1986
Pennsylvania Department of Education, Presenter, "King's Gap Symposium on Art History and Art Aesthetics in the Field of Arts Education", African Retentions in Early African American Culture and Ritual Published 1987
1982 - 1986
City of Camden, NJ Art Annual
Curator, Coordinator and Juror
2009
National Endowment for the Arts
Panelist, American Recovery Act Panel for Museums
2006
National Endowment for the Arts
Museum Program
1996
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
"Art and the Black Aesthetic"
1994
Crafts and Ethics, American Crafts Council/Sawtooth Center for the Visual Arts
1993
Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
University Conference on Multiculturalism in the United States, with Arthur Schlesinger, Cornel West, Jorge Klor de Alva and Carlos Cortes
Smithsonian Institution Resident Associates Program and Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, Washington, DC
"The Shape of Things to Come: The Impact of Commerce and Technology on the Arts"
Bridge to Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
"African Influence in African American Visual Arts"
Howard University, Washington, DC
Fourth Annual James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Art, "Out of Invisibility: Interpreting and Redefining African American Cultural Expression in the Crafts"
National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
"Women in the Craft Arts"
1992
National Endowment for the Arts
Panel chair, Commissioning and Presenting Program
National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
"Women in the Arts: Building Community in a Time of Crisis
1991
National Endowment for the Arts
InterArts Program, New Forms
1990 - 1992
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Arts in Education Projects
1990
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
"The Representation of Self and Others"
Delaware Arts Council, Wilmington, DE
Meeting on Cultural Diversity (lecture)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Training Workshop, "Cultural Diversity in Museums"
School 33, Baltimore, MD
"Cultural Apartheid"
1996
National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta, GA
1993
Rosebud Film Festival: art/experimental category, Washington, DC
1992
Lila Wallace, Reader's Digest Foundation International Arts Program, NY
Rosebud Film Festival: art/experimental category, Washington, DC
1991
10th Annual Camden City Arts Exhibition, Camden, NJ
Rosebud Film Festival: art/experimental category, Washington, DC
Wilmington Fine Arts Commission Solo Exhibitions, DE
Arlington Arts Center Solo Exhibitions, VA
Artist Talk Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show
African-American Dolls: The Work of Kimberly Camp
Cross River: A Parallel Universe, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton NJ
Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD
Off the Wall Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Solo Exhibition, Ocean City Arts Center, Ocean City, NJ
Chris White Gallery, Wilmington, DE
Chashama/Art, New York, NY
Hustle, Matawan, NJ
American Craft Council, Baltimore, MD
Solo Exhibition, Noyes Art Garage of Stockton University, Atlantic City, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Fireworks Art Center, Camden, NJ
Carr Art Center, Detroit, MI
William Grant Still Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
Solo Exhibition, Alfa Art Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Sargent Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, WA
Solo Exhibition, Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, WA
American University, Washington, DC
Antioch University, Philadelphia, PA
Baron Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ
Gloucester County College, Deptford Township, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
California State University, Fullerton, CA
Penn State University, State College PA
Hudson County Community College, NJ
David Holztman Gallery, Margate, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Bomani Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Solo Exhibition, Dell Pryor Gallery, Detroit, Michigan
Family Exhibition, Ruby Blakeney Gallery, Savage, MD
Patricia Keane Mason, New York, NY
Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, New York, NY
Solo Exhibition, Arts Extended Gallery, Detroit, MI
Solo Exhibition, CRT Craftery Gallery, Hartford, CN
Solo Exhibition, Diggs Gallery, Winston Salem State University, NC
UP Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Galerie Triangle, Washington, DC
Solo Exhibition, Clifton Art Center, Clifton, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Allied Arts Richland WA
Solo Exhibition, Art Around Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Plaza Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Galerie Francois, Washington, DC
Amber Gallery, Richmond, VA
Lucien Crump Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Theatre Art Gallery, High Point, NC
Holzman Gallery, Margate, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Diggs Gallery, Winston Salem State University, NC
UP Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Galerie Triangle, Washington, DC
Solo Exhibition, Clifton Art Center, Clifton, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Allied Arts Richland, WA
Solo Exhibition, Art Around Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Plaza Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Galerie Francois, Washington, DC
Amber Gallery, Richmond, VA
Lucien Crump Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Theatre Art Gallery, High Point, NC
Holzman Gallery, Margate, NJ
Theresa Mullen Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Gallery M, New York, NY
1st Bank of the US, National Parks Service, Philadelphia, PA
2nd Bank of the US, National Parks Service, Philadelphia, PA
US Customhouse Museum, World Trade Center, New York, NY
Federal Reserve Bank, Philadelphia, PA
Nancy Hanks Center, Washington, DC
William Trent House Museum, Trenton, NJ
Museum of Eastern Shore Culture, Salisbury, MD
Solo Exhibition, Zora Neale Hurston Museum, Eatonville, FL
Solo Exhibition, Banneker Douglass Museum, Annapolis, MD
J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Schenectady Museum, Schenectady, NY
Genesis Center, Gary, IN
Bergen County Museum of Art and Science, Paramus, NJ
Solo Exhibition, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Biennial National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Mutual Life Exhibition, Atlanta, GA
Solo Exhibition, Manchester Craftsman's Guild, Pittsburgh, PA
The Art Festival, Atlanta, GA
Solo Exhibition, Caribbean Cultural Center, NYC
Solo Exhibition, Jr. Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Dallas, TX
International House, Philadelphia, PA
International House, New York, NY
Llewellyn Park, West Orange, NJ
Frost Valley, Oliveria, NY
Solo Exhibition, Walt Whitman Center for the Arts and Humanities, Camden, NJ
Camden Historical Society, Camden, NJ
Solo Exhibition, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, PA
2025
Selma Burke Invitational African American Art Show, Phillips Mill Community Association, New Hope, PA
2024 - 2025
Kimberly Camp: Cross River: A Parallel Universe, A 40-year retrospective, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ
2024
Dolls, Idols and Ideals: Kimberly Camp and Emilio Maldonado, InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2022
Solo Inaugural Exhibition, Prizm Art Fair with Filo Sofi Arts, Miami, FL
Portraits of Camden, Rutgers University Camden Stedman Art Gallery, Camden, NJ
2021 - 2022
Spirit Guides: Kimberly Camp 40-year Retrospective, Filo Sofi Arts, Miami, FL
2012
Freedom to See Ourselves, Invited Artist, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
2011
Happy Matters, Featured Artist, Arts Extended Gallery, Detroit, MI
2009
Women Who Walk the Path, Solo Exhibition, Washington State University, Richland, WA
2008
Africanist Turnabout, Tyler School of Art, Icebox Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2007 - 2008
Stories: Paintings and Dolls by Kimberly Camp, Solo Exhibition, African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2006
African American Dolls by Kimberly Camp, Black Academy of Arts and Leters, Dallas, TX
Curator: Philip Collins, Chief curator, African American Museum, Dallas, TX
African American Craft National, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY
1993 - 1995
Spirit of the Cloth: African American Quilters, Curated by Ed Johnetta Miller, CRT Craftery Gallery, Hartford, CT
American Museums of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, CA, National Afro-American Museum, Wilberforce, OH, Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Dallas, TX, Quiltworks '93, Louisville, KY, Frank Hale Cultural Center, OH
1993
Fabric Figures, Solo Exhibition, Art Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA
1993 - 1994
Touch: Beyond the Visual, Curated by Angela Adams, National Museum of Women in the Arts and Paula Owen, The Hand Workshop, Richmond, VA; Sawtooth Center for the Visual Arts, Winston-Salem, NC; Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA; School 33, Baltimore, MD; Danville Museum of Fine Art and History, Danville, VA; Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA; Piedmont Arts Association, Martinsville, VA
1994
Solo Exhibition, CRT/Craftery Gallery, Hartford, CT
Solo Exhibition, Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Roanoke, VA
Solo Exhibition, International Sculpture Center Emerging Forms Series, Washington, DC
1993 - 1995
Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects: The Legacy of African American Craft Art, Curated by Willis Bing Davis, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, OH; American Craft Museum, New York, NY; African American Panoramic Experience, Atlanta, GA; Museum of Afro-American Life and Culture, Dallas, TX; Afro American Fine Art Museum, San Diego, CA; Renwick Gallery of American Crafts, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
1995
Hand Me Downs: Innovation Within a Tradition, Afro-American Cultural Center Charlotte, NC
1995 - 1996
International Women's Art, World Bank Art Society, Washington, DC
1996
Solo Exhibition, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Word/Image: Bookworks, National Conference of Artists, Detroit, MI
Non-Traditional Dolls, Ohio Crafts Museum, Columbus, OH
Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State University
J.B. Speed Art Museum, Strong Museum of Play, Manchester Craftsman's Guild
Camden Historical Society and Private collections throughout the United States, including Judith Jamison, Abbey Lincoln, Juliette Bethea, Anne Wollman, Faith Ringgold, Delroy and Nashormeh Lindo, Cynthia Reese, Paul Lucas, Terra Garmin, Anne D’Harnoncourt and Joseph Rishel
