Kena was introduced to quilting more than 20 years ago in Harlem, NYC. At the time, she was a Broadway actress. Today, she lives in Palmdale, CA where she teaches film and TV production to high school students; she also teaches cinema and multi-camera television studio production as an adjunct professor at a local college. 

Early on in her quilting journey, Kena was influenced by many of the Harlem Renaissance artists. Like them, you can see reflections of the African American experience in her work. Her artistic style has become a blend of contemporary, modern improv, and traditional quiltmaking, and portrait art quilts are her favorite. She loves working with Indonesian Batiks, Aftrican Batiks, and African wax print fabrics.

Kena moved from domestic machine quilting to longarm with the Q’nique 19, and she loves it. She teaches in-person and live virtual quilting classes and workshops.

Art Quilting Studio Magazine and Today’s Quilter Magazine have published Kena’s art quilts and African fabric quilts in multiple issues, and her work has also been featured in festivals.