Keni Arts (Photo – keniarts.com)
Join Altadena Library for a reception with Keni Arts honoring his exhibition Beauty For Ashes.
This series reimagines Altadena in its moment of transition, documenting destruction, renewal, and hope. The exhibition will run May 1 – 31, 2025.
For nearly five decades, Keni Arts has documented the soul of communities through his vibrant plein air paintings. From the streets of America to the landscapes of Africa, Brazil, and beyond, his brush has captured the essence of people and place. Yet, nowhere has he felt more at home than in the ‘Denas’—Altadena and Pasadena—where this artistic journey has been deeply rooted since 1977.
But on January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire changed everything. Over 9,000 homes and businesses were lost, including cherished sites Keni had once immortalized in watercolor. Now, in a powerful act of resilience and artistry, he returns to these sites to create Beauty For Ashes—a series that reimagines Altadena in its moment of transition, documenting destruction, renewal, and hope.
