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 joined the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center staff in 2024 as External Affairs Coordinator. In this post, she organizes special off-site events and manages the organization’s external communications. She also works with the development department by updating the MACC’s customer relations database, and she assists the executive director in setting up exhibitions. Above all else, Kaylin 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.