King Artist Residency

In 2021, the City of Palo Alto Public Art Program launched the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King artist residency program, engaging the community in conversations about equity, inclusion, and belonging in Palo Alto. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, for whom King Plaza is named, the Council asked the Public Art Commission to consider commissioning a permanent work signaling the City’s commitment to race, equity, and belonging. The Public Art Commission is committed to a permanent platform for ongoing conversations about equity, inclusion, and belonging in Palo Alto through the arts. As a result, the King Artist Residency Program was established.    

The 2025 King Artist Residency: Artist Kiana Honarmand

Kiana Honarmand in her studio at Cubberley Community Center. Image credit: Ola Hopper.

Kiana Honarmand is the selected King Artist-in-Residence for 2025. For her King Artist Residency project, Honarmand is focusing on the lived experiences and stories of BIPOC and immigrant members of the Palo Alto community. Through collaborative workshops centered on cultural identity and shared human experiences, she aims to foster connection, healing, and mutual understanding by creating spaces for community members to share their narratives. These collective stories will directly inform the creation of a public art installation, serving as an inclusive beacon that symbolizes resilience, celebrates belonging, and ultimately brings Palo Alto's diverse communities closer together through the power of shared experience and representation.

Your voice is important, help shape this project by taking a short survey tailored to all immigrants and BIPOC community members of Palo Alto. You can take the survey in English, Spanish, Farsi or Traditional Chinese.