The MACC celebrated Black History with the illustrations of the noted Tennessee artist Michael J. McBride. His exhibition featured more than 60 of his illustrations for children’s books. Works in this collection celebrated the Gullah-Geechee language and culture of the Carolinas, and they also paid tribute to the great African-American artist Helen LaFrance. McBride is a master of figurative art. His virtuosity in painting people came through in his sensitive renderings of a child and his grandmother.
You can listen to Michael McBride discuss the art of illustrating children’s books in our podcast MACC Talk. Among other things, he discusses how to break into the children’s book business and how to use your imagination to maximum effect.
Kaylin Warden serves as the MACC’s Creative Design and Operations Manager. In this post, she oversees the organization’s graphic design work for exhibitions, events and special projects. She also coordinates the MACC’s arts outreach activities and assists with bookkeeping, among other duties. Kaylin, above all, is passionate about the arts. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is now pursuing a master’s degree in art history. When she’s not at the MACC, you can find her reading her favorite books (especially ones dealing with maritime mysteries), cooking, gardening, playing with her cat and two dogs, and cheering for the Nashville Predators.