Makayla Smith’s work calls upon urgency, eco-innovation, and hopefulness. Makayla is a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on ecological systems and social justice. She is passionate about telling stories that inspire others to engage with the natural world. Through her photographic and multidisciplinary processes, she explores the interrelationship between landscapes, wildlife, human experiences, and how they can intersect in a broader relationship. Makayla believes these intersections and relationships hold important stories that will contribute to understanding and imagining our sustainable futures. Her personal experiences as a woman of African American and European descent illuminate her work by assisting her navigation of social justice, natural history, and eco-futurism.
msmith788@mcad.edu
willowmak23@gmail.com
Smith’s work has been exhibited in group exhibitions and installed nationally and internationally throughout her undergraduate education at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design including the Black Artist Collective Exhibition in conjunction with Douglas R.Ewart Excursion: Visual and Sonic Galaxy Exhibition in Minneapolis, Amber Vision An Exploration of Warmth, Resilience, and Healing HomeWood Studios LLc Minneapolis, Mn and various short term installation projects in Florence, Manarola, Pisa, and Venice Italy.
Makayla’s work has also been featured in her home town in Davenport, Iowa where she has held leadership roles in collaboration with Quad City Metro Arts Mural program. Smith is currently a Teaching Assistant for Paula Mcartney’s Introduction to Photography Course at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where previously she was a Teaching Assistant for Leslie Grant, Sarah Weiben, and Frank Meuschke.
As a passionate mentor in her arts community Makayla has held mentor positions within the past decade and has been interviewed through her local news outlets at KWQC and WQAD as well as published in Teens Life Guide to Performing and Visual Art Colleges sharing her experience and advice to prospective students continuing their education after high school.
msmith788@mcad.edu
willowmak23@gmail.com
