Biography

McKinley Wallace III is a celebrated mixed-media painter and art educator known for his innovative
techniques and significant contributions to the art world. He earned both a Master of Arts in
Teaching and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where he
cultivated his unique artistic vision.
Wallace’s work has been prominently featured in solo exhibitions at notable national and community
venues, including 3S Artspace, MICA, York College, Waller Gallery, and Creative Alliance. His
participation in group shows at prestigious institutions such as Goucher College, the African
American Museum of Dallas, Band of Vices, Carroll Mansion, Washington Project for the Arts,
Arlington Art Center, Main Line Art Center, and Towson University underscores his wide-ranging
influence within the art community.
In addition to his studio practice, Wallace is a dedicated art educator. He has imparted his knowledge
and passion through lectures, workshops, and studio visits at esteemed institutions including
Michigan State University, Northeastern University, and York College. These engagements highlight
his commitment to advancing art education and fostering meaningful conversations within the
artistic community.

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION
Maryland State Department of Education
Standard Professional Certification Art PK-12
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Master of Arts in Teaching / 2019 – 2021 Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Painting / 2011 –2015

Studio Art Centers International (SACI)
Semester Abroad / Honors Program
Florence, IT / 2013
Carver Steam Academy| Art Teacher
Atlanta, GA | 2022 –

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 If You Knew / Let It Be Us / 3S Art Space Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
Thick Blue Line / York College, York, PA
2021 Separate, But / We Hold These Truths / Waller Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2020 Art in August Pop-Up Show / 1706 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD
Respond & Under Blue /
Spring 2020 – Creative Alliance’s Amalie Rothschild Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Fall 2020 – Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD

2019 Views of Morrell / Gallery CA, Baltimore, MD
2017 Respond / Jubilee Arts Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2015 Hominins / The Piano Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2014 Projections / The Piano Gallery, Baltimore, MD
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GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 No Dead Artists, Ferrara Showman Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2023 We Need Love, The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
The Last Resort Artist Retreat Art Exhibition, Goucher College, Baltimore, MD
27th Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition and Exhibition /
African American Museum of Dallas, Dallas, TX
2022 The Bethesda Painting Awards /Gallery B. Bethesda, MD
Unveiling Resistance / Community College of Baltimore County - Essex, Baltimore, MD
The Devil’s Workshop / Band of Vices Co-Lab Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Stories I Tell Myself (online) / Visionary Art Collective, Brooklyn, NY
Rooted in Voyage / Band of Vices Co-Lab Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 PRIZM Art Fair / Miami Art Basel, Miami, FL
YoungBlood / Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD
Welcome to the Sauce / Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center,
Baltimore, MD

2020 Grey Matter / Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD
Hickok Cole Art Month / Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
Rights and Wrongs: Challenging the 19th Amendment Centennial Celebrations /
Carroll Mansion, Baltimore, MD
All-Night Party / Towson University’s Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson, MD
Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art /
(online), Baltimore, MD
Jubilee Arts’ Teaching Artist Show / Jubilee Arts Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2019 Our World, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, Baltimore, MD
Paradox: Main Line Art Center’s 16th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition /
Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Assembly 2019: Arlington Arts Center’s Inaugural Regional Biennial / Arlington Art
Center, Arlington, VA
2nd Tri-Annual Maryland State Artist Registry Juried Exhibition / Maryland Art Place,
Baltimore, MD

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For the Love of Material: Terrault's 4th Annual Juried Exhibition / Terrault Gallery,
Baltimore, MD
Where Have We Been, Towson University’s Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson, MD
The Bethesda Painting Awards /Gallery B. Bethesda, MD
2018 MICA’s 1

st Alumni Biennial Exhibition / Fox 3 Gallery, Baltimore MD
Strength in Practice / Works at Gallery CA & Waller Gallery, Baltimore MD
2017 Darkest Before Dawn /

ArtReach Gallery at THEARC, Washington, D.C.
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
2016 Breaking the Mold / Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
EMULSION 2016: The Third Annual East City Art Regional Juried Show /
Gallery O on H, Washington DC

2015 The 23

rd Annual Lotta Art Benefit / School 33, Baltimore, MD
Academy 2015 / Connersmith Gallery, Washington DC
Xenos / Gallery CA/City Arts, Baltimore, MD
Collaboration: African Diaspora / Palm Beach State College: Eissey Campus,
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Seniors / Sheila and Richard Riggs Gallery, Baltimore, MD
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MURAL EXPERIENCE
The Last Resort Artist Retreat / Muralist
Baltimore, MD / 2023
● Painted a mural inspired by W.E.B DeBois near the Last Resort Artist Retreat’s front entrance. “The
Last Resort Artist Retreat residency subscribes to the concept of leisure as therapy for the Black
creative and is committed to offering the space and curated experience conducive to their
rejuvenation.”
Jubilee Arts’ & Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts’ Art @ Work Program / Mural
Instructor / Baltimore, MD / 2020 (virtual/social-distanced), 2016 (on-site)
● Supervised and mentored 8-10 youth workers, ages 14 to 19, for five weeks. Taught them how to
plan, design, and create two murals on exterior walls in West Baltimore. In 2020, during COVID-19,
learners made parts of the mural remotely.
Access Art, Inc. / Mural Instructor
Baltimore, MD / 2018, 2017
● Supervised and mentored 15-20 young learners, ages 11 to 15. Taught them how to plan, design, and
create two site-specific and culturally relevant murals on an interior and exterior wall at their
neighborhood school, Morrell Park Elementary/Middle.
NIKE, Inc. / Muralist
Baltimore, MD / 2017
● Painted with artists from Street Factory Media to create a two-story Air Force 1 comic book mural
designed by Ed Piskor.
Spectrum Design Studios / Arts Integration Muralist
Laurel, MD / 2015
● Painted at Global Monarch Academy with a group of muralists to create four large-scale maps
showcasing major animal groups and physical biomes found in each continent.
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PRINT PUBLICATIONS
Cruz, Kleaver. The Black Joy Project. 2023.
Seals, Tré. Dream In Color: 30 Posters of Power by 30 Black Creators. 2022.
Woolever, Lydia, Best of Baltimore: Arts and Culture. 2021.
Lehman, Erin L. All Night Party Exhibition Catalog. 2020.
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DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS
Woolever, Lydia. Artist to Watch Mckinley Wallace III, Baltimore Magazine, August 2021
Kopf, Suzy. Rights and Wrongs Exhibition Examines the Ongoing Struggle for Suffrage,
BMore Art, November 16, 2020
Kopf, Suzy. Art &: McKinley Wallace III, BMore Art, November 2, 2020
Davis, Phil. Pandemic may have closed galleries, but pop-up series takes Baltimore artists
outside to showcase work, Baltimore Sun, Aug 30, 2020
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ARTIST INTERVIEWS
June 2023 – 3S Artspace Press Release: Questions for McKinley Wallace III Portsmouth, NH
April 2023 – Conversation with McKinley Wallace III / York, PA
Sep 2021 – Getting To The Truth In This Art: McKinley Wallace III / Baltimore, MD
Oct 2020 – Towson University’s Arts Without Boundaries: Episode 16 / Towson, MD
Jun 2020 – Local Color Podcast: Episode 75: McKinley Wallace / Baltimore, MD
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LECTURES AND PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Feb 2024 - Michigan State University: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III /East Lansing, MI
Oct 2023 – Northeastern University: Keynote for 17th Black New England Conference / Boston, MA
June 2023 – 3S Artspace: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / Portsmouth, NH
Feb 2023 – York College: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / York, PA
Apr 2022 – Towson University: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / Baltimore, MD
Jan 2022 – Rooted in Voyage Artist Talks at Band of Vices Co-Lab Gallery / Los Angeles, CA
Dec 2021 – Towson University: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / Baltimore, MD
Dec 2020 – Walters Art Museum: Understanding Master Narratives at Baltimore

Polytechnic Institute: LIVE! Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / Baltimore, MD
Nov 2020 – Rights and Wrongs Exhibition: Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III, Antonio

McAfee, and Erin Fostel/ Baltimore, MD

Nov 2020 – Walters Art Museum: LIVE! Artist Talk with McKinley Wallace III / Baltimore, MD
Oct 2020 – BOPA’s 'Innovation, Isolation and Imagination: Creating During a Pandemic"

Artist Panel / Baltimore, MD

Nov 2019 – Assembly 2019 Gallery Talks: Arlington Arts Center’s Biennial / Arington, VA
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ART AWARDS
2021 Baker Artist Award from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
2019 Leslie King-Hammond Graduate Award from MICA
Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Award from Main Line Arts Center
Independent Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council
Bethesda Art Award from Bethesda Urban Partnership