LaDara McKinnon (Charlotte, NC Based)
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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
Nominations & Awards
2024 Artist Support Grant, ASC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
2023 Creative Mecklenburg Grant, ASC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
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
2019 20 on the Rise Artist, Honeybook Website
2018 Black Girls Who Paint (Community Impact), BGWP Website
2018 Marianne Oberg Scholarship, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC
2014 Dean’s List, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
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Publications
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
2018 Ballyvaughan, Bothar Na, Bishop’s Quarter, Pathway To Ballyvaughan.
2018 Sanskrit Literary Literary-Arts Magazine. 2018 Edition.
2017 Hue + Shade Lounge: Art Show & Market, Boom Charlotte Website
2016 No Color Needed. 2016. Tangents Magazine. October 2016.
2016 Power. 2016. Sanskrit Literary Literary-Arts Magazine. 2016 Edition. 28.
Professional Experience
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.
2016-2021 Studio Assistant, Clayworks, Charlotte, NC
Maintenance of the studio. Loading and firing kilns, glaze materials, and mixing glazes.
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
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
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Professional Events
2023 Speaker, "Who Am I?" Artist Talk, Freedom Communities Hub, Charlotte, NC
2023 Speaker, 'Trust The Process' Art Talk, The VAPA Center, Charlotte, NC
2023 Live Painter, The Patriot Gala, Founder’s Hall, Charlotte, NC
2023 Highlighted Business, Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women: Global Event, Founder’s Hall, Charlotte, NC
2023 Live Painter, 20th RealthReach Clinic Luncheon, Mooresville, NC
2022 Speaker, Working Artist Panel, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
​2022 Speaker, Strategic Planning Workshop for Artists, Catawba Community College, Hickey, NC
2022 Live Painter, Young Affiliates of The Mint Fall Ball, Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, NC
2022 Speaker & Workshop Host, Gratitude Retreat Workshop in Newton, KS
2022 Speaker & Workshop Host, Girls Who Brunch Tour, Charlotte, NC
2021 Live Painter, Charlotte Hornets Heroes Gala, Spectrum Arena, Charlotte, NC
2021 Critic, Guess Artist, Minted.com, National Artists
2020 Critic, Guess Artist expressive mark-making, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2020 Juror, Southend Arts April Art Show in Charlotte, NC
2020 Critic & Guess Artist, Minted.com, North Carolina Artists
Lectures
2024 Painting Instructor, TBA, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
2024 Instructor, Arts Entrepreneurship, Triangle ArtWorks, Greensboro, NC
Six week intensive business school-style workshop for artists about business structures to support systems, from credit cards to cash flow, this course will walk you through the process of creating an art business that makes money.
2023 Instructor, Arts Entrepreneurship, Triangle ArtWorks, Durham, NC
Six week intensive business school-style workshop for artists about business structures to support systems, from credit cards to cash flow, this course will walk you through the process of creating an art business that makes money.
2023 Painting Instructor, Theme: Gun Control, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
Day workshop
2022 Instructor, Color & Pastels, McColl Center for Arts + Innovation, Charlotte, NC
One week workshop on how to use pastels, color theory, and techniques then applying that to different themes. A lesson plan was created for this workshop.
2022 Painting Instructor, Abstract + Climate Justice, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
2022-2020 Artist Contractor,Clayworks, Charlotte,NC
Create and publish over 50 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
​2022 Curator, "Power in Your Presence", Mcdowell Arts Center Gallery, Mattews, NC
Curatored an all women art show with all mediums.
Private Collections
2021 Artist Commission, Safe Alliance, Commissioned by Safe Alliance to create custom gifts for staff
2019 Artist Commission, AFP Charlotte, Commissioned by AFP Charlotte to create custom awards for each National Philanthropy Day 2019 winner
Installations
2023 #CampCanvas Mural, 201 Camp Wall, Camp North End, Charlotte, NC
2022 Allspring Global Investments Corporate Headquarters, Charlotte, NC (Collection, Through Indiewalls, New York, NY)
2021 Atrium Heath, Indian Trail, NC (Commissioned Triptych, Through Skyline Art Services, Houston, TX)
2021 Caldwell Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC ( Commission, Provided By Charlotte is Creative Bear Grant)
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Art Licensing
HomeGoods
West Elm
Minted
Wexel Art
Exhibitions
2024 TBA, Free Range Brewing, Charlotte, NC (Invitanal, Solo Show)
2024 Free For All: Spring 2024, Hart Witzen Gallery , Charlotte, NC
2023 "Who Am I?", Freedom Communities Hub, Charlotte, NC
2023 Pride: Flourish, Wells Fargo Atrium, Charlotte, NC
2023 The Harding Art Show, Harding Academy, Nashville, TN.
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 Show)
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, UNCC, 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, 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