About

Kate M. McNamara is a curator, educator, and author based in Providence, RI, with a deep commitment to collaboration, alternative art spaces, and fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue. She is the founder of ODD-KIN, a contemporary art space in East Providence dedicated to experimental programming and artist-driven inquiry, and the Executive and Creative Director of My HomeCourt, a nonprofit revitalizing city parks through partnerships with contemporary artists. McNamara co-founded the Warhol-funded regional Interlace Grant Fund, supporting artist-led initiatives, and serves as a Visiting Critic at the Rhode Island School of Design and Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Her previous roles include Curator-at-Large and Interim Director at Providence College Galleries, and from 2015-2019, Director of Galleries and Exhibitions at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, where she spearheaded dynamic exhibitions and programs with artists such as Kenzi Shiokava, Polly Apfelbaum, and Anna Craycroft. As Director and Chief Curator at the Boston University Art Galleries, she developed cross-disciplinary exhibitions and collaborations with artists like Leidy Churchman, Vlatka Horvat, and the collective Destroy All Monsters. McNamara co-founded Cleopatra’s, a former Brooklyn-based alternative project space known for its artist-driven programming, and has held curatorial roles at MoMA PS1 and Participant, INC. She holds an MA from The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a BA in Curatorial Studies from Hampshire College.