LaDara McKinnon (b. 1990 based Charlotte, NC)

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Education 

 

​2022 Women's Entrepreneurship Certification, Cornell University  

2017 Study Abroad, Burren College of Art, Clare, Ireland 

2017 BA, Fine Art, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC Minors: Women & Gender Studies & Psychology 

2013 Associate Degree (Double), Pitt Community College, Greenville, NC Arts: Foundation's Art Classes 

General Education: College Education 

 

Awards 

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2022 Artist Support Grant, ASC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 

2021 Bear Grant, Charlotte is Creative, Charlotte, NC 

2020 Hug Micro Grant, Charlotte is Creative, Charlotte, NC 

2019 20 on the Rise Artist, Honeybook Website, Nationwide 

​2014 Dean’s List, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC Bibliography 

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Publications 

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2022 Art Supplies. 2022. UPPERCASE Encyclopedia. June 2022 Edition. 10. 

2021 A Reflection In Words & Material. 2021. QC Exclusive. September 2021 Edition. 79. 

2021 Local Stories. 2021. Shoutout Atlanta Magazine. July 2021. Website.

2020 VoyageATL. 2020. VoyageATL Magazine. November 2020. Website. 

2020 Support Black Voices & Black-Owned Businesses In Charlotte, NC. 2020. QC Exclusive. June 2020. Website. 

2019 Art In Abstraction. 2019. QC Exclusive. December 2019 Edition. 63.

2019 Naturally Modern: Retract. 2019. West Elm. July 2019 Edition.

2019 Minted Artist. 2019. Minted and West West Elm. July 2019. Website 

2019 20 on the Rise Artist, Honeybook Website 

2018 Marianne Oberg Scholarship, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC 
2018 Black Girls Who Paint (Community Impact), BGWP Website

2017 Hue + Shade Lounge: Art Show & Market, Boom Charlotte Website

2018 Ballyvaughan, Bothar Na, Bishop’s Quarter, Pathway To Ballyvaughan.

2018. Sanskrit Literary Literary-Arts Magazine. 2018 Edition. 

2016 No Color Needed. 2016. Tangents Magazine. October 2016.

2016 Power. 2016. Sanskrit Literary Literary-Arts Magazine. 2016 Edition. 28.

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Professional Experience 

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2016-2022 - Community Impact Ceramics Instructor, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC

 Serving and creating unique items with children, disabled adults, and seniors the foundations in the potter's wheel and handbuilding techniques with clay. 

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2016-2021 Studio Assistant, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC 

Maintenance of the studio. Loading and firing kilns, glaze materials, and mixing glazes. 

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2015-2020 Lead Fine Arts Instructor, Holts School of Fine Art, Charlotte, NC 

Instructing the foundations in drawing, watercolor, life & figure drawing oil painting with students ages 8-18 years old. Lead and planned summer workshops. Lead my team to instruct classes of 18 students on individual projects

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2015- 2018 Painting Instructor, Wine & Design, Charlotte, NC 

Instructing public painting classes with 4-35 people per class, recreate and create original paintings for the studio, and and plan & teach summer camp lesson plans 

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2015-2017 Ceramics Instructor, Pottery Cottage, Harrisburg, NC

Instructing children to adults how to uses the potters wheel and hand-build, and plan & teach summer camp lesson plans 

 

Professional Events and Speaking

 

​2022 Speaker, Strategic Planning Workshop for Artists, Catawba Community College, Hickey, NC

2022 Painter, Young Affiliates of The Mint Fall Ball, Live Painting

2022 Panelist, Critique Applications for Artist Support Grant, Invited by Arts & Science Council, Charlotte, NC 

2021 Painter, Charlotte Hornets Heroes Gala, Live Painting 

2021 Speaker, Critique Guess Artist, Minted.com, National Artists 

2020 Speaker, Critique class on expressive mark-making, Invited by Professor Alex Giannell, Indiana University 

2020 Juror, Southend Arts April Art Show in Charlotte, NC 

2020 Speaker, Critique Guess Artist, Minted.com, North Carolina Artists 

 

Lectures & Workshops

2022 Workshop Host, Gratitude Retreat, 3-Day The Premission to Create Workshop, Newton, KS

2022 Workshop Host, The Premission to Create Workshop, Girls Who Brunch Tour, Charlotte, NC

2022 Summer Painting Instructor: Climate Justice + Art, Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Full 1-day workshop: 50 scholars from the Freedom Schools about climate justice through abstract painting

2022 Artist Contractor, Publish and create 6 educational videos on handbuilding with clay for the YWCA for Clayworks ( Summer) 

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2021 Artist Contractor, Publish and create 12 educational videos on handbuilding with clay for the YWCA for Clayworks ( Summer and Fall) 

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2021 Artist Contractor, Publish and create 12 educational videos on handbuilding with clay for the YWCA for Clayworks (Winter and Spring) 

2020 Artist Contractor, Publish and create 10 educational videos on handbuilding with clay for the YWCA for Clayworks (Spring) 

2020 Artist Contractor, Publish and create 10 educational videos on handbuilding with clay for the YWCA for Clayworks 

2019 Summer Painting Professor, Lórien Academy, Charlotte, NC

Eight week workshop teaching color theory, abstract history, composition, how to use materials and experimentation with uncommon art mathematics and activities. Also, created an eight week lesson plan. 

2019 Summer Ceramics Instructor, Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Full 1-day workshop: 50 scholars from the Freedom Schools about identity and equality through a clay project. 

2016 Ceramics Instructor, Pottery Cottage, Harrisburg, NC Planned Summer Camp Art Activities and lead camp.

Instructing the foundations in pottery wheel and handbuilding. Kiln loading and glazing pottery.

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Curatorial Projects

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2022 "Power in Your Presence", Mcdowell Arts Center Gallery, Mattews, NC

Curatored an all women art show with all mediums.

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Private Collections

 

2021 Artist Commission, Safe Alliance Charlotte, Commissioned by Safe Alliance to create custom gifts 

2019 Artist Commission, AFP Charlotte, Commissioned by AFP Charlotte to create custom awards for each National Philanthropy Day 2019 winner

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Installations

 

2022 Allspring Global Investments Corporate Headquarters, Charlotte, NC (Collection)

2021 Atrium Heath, Indian Trail, NC (Commissioned Triptych)

 

Art Licensing

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HomeGoods 

West Elm

Minted

 

Exhibitions 

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2022 Singing in the Dead of Night, Charlotte Art League, Charlotte, NC. (Invitanal, Group Show) 

2022 Power in Your Presence, Mcdowell Arts Center Gallery, Mattews, NC (Curated, Juried)

2022 The Harding Art Show, Harding Academy, Nashville, TN. (Invitanal, Group Show) 

2021 Ebullient Collection Show, Matthews Town Hall, Matthews, NC. (Invitanal, Solo) 

2021 Women in ABSTRACTION, New Art Center, Newton, MA (Juried)

2020 Greenhill's Winter Show, Greenhill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, NC. (Invitanal) 

2020 Art With Heart, Elder Gallery, Charlotte, NC (Juried) 

2019 ARTS MATTERS, The Artisan Palate, Charlotte, NC (Juried, Group)

2019 National Philanthropy Day, Center City, Charlotte, NC (Solo Show)

2019 Imagine Tomorrow Together!, Southend Arts, Charlotte, NC (Juried)

2019 Fringe, 4th annual BOOM Festival, Boom Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

2019 Art With Heart, Elder Gallery, Charlotte, NC (Auction) 

2019 Annual Gallery Crawl, Dilworth Artisan Station, Charlotte, NC

2019 Studio Artist's Ceramics Show, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC 

2018 Annual Gallery Crawl, Dilworth Artisan Station, Charlotte, NC

2018 Que-OS, 3rd annual BOOM Festival, Boom Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

2018 Art With Heart, Center Stage Noda, Charlotte, NC (Auction)

2018 Studio Artist's Ceramics Show, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC 

2018 Sanskrit Literary- Arts Magazine Show, Student Union Gallery, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 

2017 Cups In Common, Clayworks Gallery, Charlotte, NC 

2017 Arts For Life: Paint Palette, Dilworth Artisan Station, Charlotte, NC

2017 The Hue + Shade Lounge, 2nd annual BOOM Festival,Charlotte, NC 

2017 Apple Pie: An American Art Show, Goodyear Gallery, Goodyear Arts, Charlotte, NC 

2017 UNCONVENTIONAL, EyeDrum Music & Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA 

2017 Love Is The Answer, National Alliance of Mental Illness, Paper Cut Gallery, Charlotte, NC 

2016 POP Up for the Profiled, Projective Eye Gallery UNC Charlotte Center City, Charlotte, NC (Invitanal) 

2016 Creating a Cultural Impact: Student Work from UNCC, Performance Suite, The Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC (Invitanal) 

2016 Sanskrit Literary- Arts Magazine Show, Student Union Gallery University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 

2016 Black Excellence Art Show, SAC Salons, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC (Juried by Caroline Manning) 

2016 Naked: Body Beautiful, Charlotte Art League, Charlotte, NC 

2016 A is for... a collaborative pictorial vocabulary exploration in alphabetical order, Student Union Gallery, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 

2015 Annual Gallery Crawl, Dilworth Artisan Station, Charlotte, NC 

2013 Metalsmith 1 Student Exhibition, Goess Gallery, Pitt Community College, Greenville, NC

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