Work samples

  • A Promising Future
    A Promising Future
    A Promising Future, 2020 / 8"x27" /Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
  • Washington Boulevard
    Washington Boulevard
    Washington Boulevard / 2019 / 35"x52" / Acrylic, charcoal, print, and graphite on wood panel
  • Survival is Survival, Not Just a Walk Through the Rain
    Survival is Survival, Not Just a Walk Through the Rain
    Survival is Survival, Not Just a Walk Through the Rain / 2020 / 24"x20" / Acrylic, Digital Print on canvas on wood panel
  • Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
    Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
    Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins / 2020 / 60"x60" / Acrylic, Charcoal, China Marker, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on wood panel

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About McKinley

Baltimore City
McKinley Wallace III is a mixed-media painter whose art depicts strength expounded by the oppressed and an educator dedicated to cultivating people-oriented environments that foster inclusive community building and high-quality learning. He will receive his Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Maryland Institute College of Art in spring 2021.  Mr. Wallace creates identity-affirming spaces by sharing, expanding, and integrating community-based projects within his curriculum and studio practice. He wants to encourage a learner's sense of self and investment toward educating themselves and… more
See $2,500 Baker Artist Award Winning Portfolio
View McKinley's Resume
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Separate, But (2018 – )

Artist Statement Summary:

Privilege is a weapon.  Since 1619, the birth year of American Slavery, privilege and power have been structured and used as a system to oppress, define, exclude, and profit from Black people in America.  

I aim to create illustrative mixed media paintings of people caught within, and absent from, real, site-specific places in distress. I also place individuals in and out of hard-edged black and white zones with occasional vignettes, all used as a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. My work embodies a unique strength expounded by the oppressed. A power manifested in resilient peoples, determined to resist erasure and break free of master narratives.

  • Fear of White America
    Fear of White America
    2020 / 24"x24"/ Acrylic, Charcoal, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on canvas on wood panel
  • Elizabeth in Little Rock
    Elizabeth in Little Rock
    2019 / 24"x24" / Acrylic, black gesso, charcoal, digital print, graphite, and ink on wood panel
  • Home of the Brave
    Home of the Brave
    2019 / 24"x20" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Ink, and Digital Print on wood panel
  • A Promising Future
    A Promising Future
    A Promising Future, 2020 / 8"x27" /Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
  • White People Cannot Give Anybody Their Freedom
    White People Cannot Give Anybody Their Freedom
    2020 / 48"x36"/ Acrylic, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on canvas on wood panel
  • Right Hand
    Right Hand
    2020 / 18"x18" / Acrylic, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on canvas on wood panel
  • More Than Magic
    More Than Magic
    2020 / 16.9"x23.2" / Acrylic, Digital Print, and Graphite on paper
  • Gaze
    Gaze
    2020 / 24"x20" / Acrylic, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on canvas on wood panel
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    • We Hold These Truths (2018 – )

    Artist Statement Summary:

    Privilege is a weapon. Since 1619, the birth year of American Slavery, privilege and power have been structured and used as a system to oppress, define, exclude, and profit from Black people in America.

    I aim to create illustrative mixed media paintings of people caught within, and absent from, real, site-specific places in distress. I also place individuals in and out of hard-edged black and white zones with occasional vignettes, all used as a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. My work embodies a unique strength expounded by the oppressed. A power manifested in resilient peoples, determined to resist erasure and break free of master narratives.

    • Emmett
      Emmett
      2019 / 24"x24" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Digital Print, and Graphite on wood panel
    • Revolutionary Suicide
      Revolutionary Suicide
      2020 / 16”x20” / Acrylic, Charcoal, and Graphite on wood panel
    • I’ve Been to the Mountaintop #1
      I’ve Been to the Mountaintop #1
      2020 / 24"x36" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Graphite, and Ink on wood panel
    • We Are All Born Free
      We Are All Born Free
      2020 / 48"x36" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Digital Print, and Graphite on canvas on wood panel
    • In the Clouds
      In the Clouds
      2018 / 12"x12" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Ink, and Print on wood Panel
    • Primaries
      Primaries
      2020 / 24"x20" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Digital Print, and Ink on canvas on wood panel
    • Survival is Survival, Not Just a Walk Through the Rain
      Survival is Survival, Not Just a Walk Through the Rain
      2020 / 24"x20"/ Acrylic, Digital Print on canvas on wood panel
    • You Can’t Be Free From What You Can’t See
      You Can’t Be Free From What You Can’t See
      2019 / 24"x24" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Digital Print, and Graphite on wood panel
    •

    • A Promising Future Mural (2020)

    This past summer, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of eight high school youth and I created a social-distanced mural in West Baltimore called "A Promising Future," a name picked by the youth. Each of them produced 24" black and white paintings on wood panels to answer one essential question, "what does it take to help a community thrive?" Two local artists and I installed their wood panels on an outdoor surface, framing a centerpiece I designed and painted on site. The most important thing about the mural is that Black people made it for a predominately Black community. For years to come, as the youth who assisted with this mural reach well into adulthood, they can visit this artwork, stand in front of the painting and say, "I helped make this."

    Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 01
      A Promising Future 01
      A Promising Future, 2020 / 8"x27" /Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 02
      A Promising Future 02
      Process Photo –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 03
      A Promising Future 03
      Process Photo –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 04
      A Promising Future 04
      Process Photo –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 05
      A Promising Future 05
      Process Photo –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    • A Promising Future 06
      A Promising Future 06
      Process Photo –– Mural Location: 1814 Division St, Baltimore, MD 21217
    •

    • Betwixt (2019)

    Artist Statement Summary:

    Privilege is a weapon.  Since 1619, the birth year of American Slavery, privilege and power have been structured and used as a system to oppress, define, exclude, and profit from Black people in America.  

    I aim to create illustrative mixed media paintings of people caught within, and absent from, real, site-specific places in distress. I also place individuals in and out of hard-edged black and white zones with occasional vignettes, all used as a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. My work embodies a unique strength expounded by the oppressed. A power manifested in resilient peoples, determined to resist erasure and break free of master narratives
    • Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      2020 / 60"x60" / Acrylic, Charcoal, China Marker, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on wood panel
    • Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      CLOSE UP: Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins 2020 Acrylic, Charcoal, China Marker, Digital Print, Graphite, and Ink on wood panel –– A CLOSE UP from a 60"x60" painting
    • Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      Hall of Fame: Homes of Augusta T. Chissell and Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins
      Installation Photo
    • Washington Boulevard
      Washington Boulevard
      Washington Boulevard / 2019 / 35"x52" / Acrylic, charcoal, print, and graphite on wood panel
    •

    • Selected Works from Under Blue (2018 – )

    Artist Statement Summary:

    Privilege is a weapon.  Since 1619, the birth year of American Slavery, privilege and power have been structured and used as a system to oppress, define, exclude, and profit from Black people in America.  

    I aim to create illustrative mixed media paintings of people caught within, and absent from, real, site-specific places in distress. I also place individuals in and out of hard-edged black and white zones with occasional vignettes, all used as a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. My work embodies a unique strength expounded by the oppressed. A power manifested in resilient peoples, determined to resist erasure and break free of master narratives.
    • Rise.
      Rise.
      2018 / 24"x36" / Acrylic, Charcoal, Ink Oil, and Print on wood Panel
    • Uniform.
      Uniform.
      2018 / 24"x30" / Acrylic, charcoal, digital print, and ink on wood Panel
    •

    • Selected Works from Respond. (2017 – )

    Artist Statement Summary:

    Privilege is a weapon.  Since 1619, the birth year of American Slavery, privilege and power have been structured and used as a system to oppress, define, exclude, and profit from Black people in America.  

    I aim to create illustrative mixed media paintings of people caught within, and absent from, real, site-specific places in distress. I also place individuals in and out of hard-edged black and white zones with occasional vignettes, all used as a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. My work embodies a unique strength expounded by the oppressed. A power manifested in resilient peoples, determined to resist erasure and break free of master narratives.
    • How High.
      How High.
      2018 / 24"x24" / Acrylic, charcoal, digital print, ink and oil on wood panel
    • Stay Loyal.
      Stay Loyal.
      2017 / 35"x47" / Acrylic, charcoal, digital print, ink, and oil on wood panel
    •

    • Between Us (2017)

    On January 29th, 2016, a fifteen-year-old African American male named Darius Montray Bardney was tragically murdered in at housing complex in West Baltimore called Pedestal Gardens.

    The property’s management team, Community Builders, Inc., commissioned “Between Us” to celebrate the life of Darius, embolden the youth of Pedestal Gardens, and help resolve any contention that transpired after the incident.

    • Don't Forget
      Don't Forget
      2017 / 24"x36" / Acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and print on canvas
    • Don't Forget - Close up
      Don't Forget - Close up
      2017 / Acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and print on canvas
    • Don't Forget - Close up
      Don't Forget - Close up
      2017 / Acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and print on canvas
    • Don't Forget - Close up
      Don't Forget - Close up
      2017 / Acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and print on canvas
    •