Kim Salerno’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States in galleries, cultural centers, and museums. Her work has won many awards including a recent grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and a fellowship from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Kim’s work is included in various collections and is also on loan to the DeCordova Museum’s Corporate Lending Program.

Salerno earned a master of architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, holds a certificate in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA from Smith College. In addition to teaching, Kim has also worked as an architect and now serves on the Historic District Commission in Newport, Rhode Island. She has taught art and design at colleges and universities throughout the country including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She now teaches at the University of Rhode Island.

Kim’s work mixes interests in decoration and design with fine arts. Large paper wall hangings combine decorative patterned shapes with domestic imagery, while panel paintings draw from garden imagery and traditional patterning. Three-dimensional works build on similar themes, blurring distinctions between art and design. The work generally draws from a variety of sources including miniature painting, genre painting, decorative arts and crafts, and contemporary architecture.