ABOUT KATIE
Katie Pumphrey (b.1987) is an American interdisciplinary artist and ultramarathon open water swimmer. Pulling from her experiences in the water, her paintings, sculptures, and installations use abstraction and imagery to investigate our anxieties, fears, and how our imagination plays tricks on us. Incorporating a bit of humor, Pumphrey explores these tensions and the connectedness between human instincts and play.
Pumphrey has a Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her works have been exhibited in galleries across the United States, including solo exhibitions in Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC, Alexandria, VA, and Key West, FL. She has participated in artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Studios of Key West, Gallery Four, as well as the Creative Alliance in Baltimore where she was a resident artist from 2011-2014.
On June 25th, 2024, Katie Pumphrey became the first person to complete the “Bay to Baltimore” swim, a 24 mile swim from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Pumphrey’s history-making Bay to Baltimore swim in support and celebration for the decades-long clean up efforts to make the Baltimore Harbor swimmable and a safe recreational resource for the city. Pumphrey continues to be involved in these efforts, recently founding the nonprofit Baltimore Open Water Swimmers (BOWS), and speaking at the Swimmable Cities Summit, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Pumphrey recently joined as a signatory to the Swimmable Cities Charter, and now serves as a Swimmable Cities Ambassador.
Other notable swims include three English Channel swims (2015, 2022, 2025), as well as around the island of Manhattan (2017) and the Catalina Channel (2018, 2024)— those three swims make up the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Pumphrey was the 194th person (73rd woman) in the world to achieve that honor.
Her work as an artist is deeply connected to her experiences as an athlete, as is her community outreach and advocacy. Pumphrey lives and works in Baltimore City, MD.
CV
b. 1987
EDUCATION
2009 BFA— Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2008 MICA Honors Program— Studio Arts Centers International, Florence, Italy
SOLO + TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2025 Swimming Pool, solo exhibition, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
2024 Freestyle: Katie Pumphrey + Brandon Donahue-Shipp, Kohl Gallery, Chestertown, MD
2023 Monsters Below, Washington Studio School, Washington, DC,
2021 Night Swim, Project 1628, Baltimore, MD
2020 Scribble Scrabbles, Washington Studio School,Washington, DC
2019 Merry-go-round, Sense Gallery, Washington, DC
2018 Five More Minutes (Part I), Susan Calloway Fine Arts, Washington, DC
Five More Minutes (Part II), Athenaeum Gallery, Alexandria, VA
Over Under, Harrison Gallery, Key West, FL
2017 Rearranging Rooms, Project 1628, Baltimore, MD
2016 Heavyweight, Susan Calloway Fine Arts, Washington, DC
2015 Weighted Game, Gallery@Casewerks, Baltimore, MD
2014 Fight or Flight: Katie Pumphrey + Alessandra Torres, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Pop Up, Pikesville Armory Foundation, Pikesville, MD
2024 Sondheim Semifinalist Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2023 Shared Endeavor, Vermont Studio Center x Washington Studio School, DC
2022 Poolside, Jag Gallery, Key West, FL
2020 Turning Blue, Latela Curatorial, Washington, DC
By The People x Monochrome Collective Art Fair, Washington, DC
2020 Print Releases Davis Editions
Covid-19 Art Fair, Latela Curatorial, Washington, DC
2019 Tiny Show, Hen House, Washington, DC
Truth Lies Beyond, Foley Gallery, New York, NY
Bold, Amalie Rothschild Gallery, Baltimore, MD
By The People x Monochrome Collective Art Fair, Washington, DC
Drawn, Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Oz, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
2018 Off the Web, The Peale Center, Baltimore, MD
Perspectives, Amalie Rothschild Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Heritage:Now, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
The Factory, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
Abreast of the Times, Harrison Gallery, Key West, FL
2017 Wet, Strathmore, Bethesda, MD
Faculty Exhibition, Washington Studio School, Washington DC
Radius 250, Artspace Richmond, Richmond, VA
Disco Nights, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
Language of Material, Harrison Gallery, Key West, FL
Process & Practice, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
2016 Faculty Exhibition, Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
All American House, Carroll Mansion at Carroll Museums, Baltimore, MD
The Critiqued, Otis Street Arts Project, Mount Rainier, MD
All Grown Up, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
All That Art, Chaney Gallery at Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
Resident Reunion, Creative Alliance, Baltimore MD
2015 Faculty Exhibition, Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
On the Hunt, Creative Alliance, Baltimore MD
2014 Memory: Captured Moments, Gallery@Casewerks, Baltimore, MD
NYC vs. Baltimore, Gallery 788, Baltimore, MD
Road to Rio, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
10+1, Gallery 788, Baltimore, MD
Bang-Bang, Amalie Rothschild Gallery, Baltimore, MD
AWARDS & ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2025 Grantee, Making Her Mark Foundation
2024 Semifinalist, Sondheim Art Prize
2018 Artist-in-Residence, Baltimore Water Taxi (Baltimore, MD)
2017 Artist-in-Residence, Studios of Key West (Key West, FL)
2011-14 Artist-in-Residence, Creative Alliance (Baltimore, MD)
2012 Artist-in-Residence, Vermont Studio Center, Artist Award (Johnson VT)
2009-11 Artist-in-Residence & Co-curator, Gallery Four (Baltimore, MD)
REVIEWS
2025 BmoreArt, Six Must-See Fall Art Exhibitions in Baltimore
2023 Washington Post, In the Galleries
2020 Washington City Paper, City Lights: Unwind with U Hall TV or See Scribbles Scrabbles
Washington City Paper, How Apartment Buildings Can Become Showcases for Artists in D.C.
2018 City Biz List, 100K Apartments Highlights Work of Five Artists in Elegant Building and New Park
East City Art, New Residential Building in NoMa Neighborhood Incorporates Works of Local & National Artists
Washington Post, In the Galleries
Washington Post, 5 Under-the-Radar Art Exhibitions to Visit this Summer
2016 Washington Post, In the Galleries
Georgetowner, Book Hill Galleries Open for Spring Art Walk
Baltimore Sun, All American House at Carroll Mansion
Washington Post, In the Galleries
East City Art, The Critiqued at Otis Street Arts Project
2014 Bmoreart.com, We Saw This, So Should you: Fight or Flight at the CA
SELECTED FEATURES
2025 World Open Water Swimming Association, Bay to Baltimore: Katie Pumphrey on Adaptation, Art, and Advocacy
Outdoor Swimming Magazine, The Art of Edurance
Baltimore Magazine, Swimming Lessons: What Open-Water Swimming Has Taught Katie Pumphrey About Life
2024 Baltimore Magazine, Katie Pumphrey Reflects on Her Epic Swim and How the Water Influences Her Art
Baltimore Magazine, BMAG x The Truth in This Art: Katie Pumphrey on Her Identity as an Artist and Athlete
2022 Baltimore Magazine, Local Artist Katie Pumphrey Just Swam the English Channel- Again
KonkLife, Katie Pumphrey’s English Channel Swim
2021 BmoreArt, ArtAND: Katie Pumphrey
Shoutout LA, Meet Katie Pumphrey | Artist and Open Water Swimmer
Highlandtown Arts District, Artist Profile: Katie Pumphrey
CBS Baltimore, Baltimore’s Katie Pumphrey Becomes 73rd Woman In History To Complete The Triple Crown Of Open Water Swimming
Baltimore Sun, Reader’s Choice 2021: People & Media
2019 Tafmag, Chronic: Painting
2017 Florida Weekly, Katie Pumphrey: Painting for her life
Rare, Inside the warehouse where the Women’s March prepares for their moment on the streets
2015 Washington Post, Baltimore Artist completes English Channel swim in 14 hours 19 minutes
Jolyn Clothing Blog, Motivational Mondays: Katie Pumphrey
Tim Corbin Films, About Living
DC Curbed, Washington DC Design House Showcase
Home and Design, Show House Magic
2014 Washington Post, Across the Potomac, and onto the Channel
Washington Post, Fibromyalgia Sufferer takes on her Pain, Training to Swim English Channel
2013 whatweekly.com, Building Alliances