BIOGRAPHY
Raised to admire all things strange and obscure in nature, Makaila Bryant’s earliest memories consist of curiously observing and drawing things around her. Born in 1997 in suburban Illinois, she began exploring painting at age 15 and continues to live and create there, fascinated by the shifting skies and unending plains of the midwest. While completing her BA at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and receiving scholarships and awards for her work in academic juried exhibitions, Makaila fell in love with landscape painting for its ability to capture complex emotions hidden within our everyday surroundings. Her interest lies in places that feel like a memory, focusing on vacant spaces with unusual lighting. In these mysterious places of solace, Makaila explores concepts of freedom within emptiness and the beauty of uncertainty.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Makaila Bryant
Born in 1997 in Illinois, United States
Resides and works in Illinois, United States
Education:
2016 – 2020: BA in Studio Art, painting emphasis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), Edwardsville, IL
Grants & Awards:
2024 Grant’s Farm Mural Competition, finalist, Grant’s Farm, MO
2023 Judge’s Choice Award recipient, Edwardsville Art Fair, Edwardsville, IL
2023 Judge’s Choice Award recipient, Edwardsville Art Fair, Edwardsville, IL
2023 Judge’s Choice Award recipient, Edwardsville Art Fair, Edwardsville, IL
2020 Valerie Lee Reynolds Smith Award, winner, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2020 First in Painting, winner, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2019 Department of Art and Design Provost Scholarship, winner, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
Exhibitions:
2024 Group exhibition, “Small Works,” Maves Art Center, Greenville, IL
2024 Solo exhibition “The Middle of Nowhere,” Macoupin Art Collective, Staunton, IL
2020 Juried Art and Design Student Exhibition, juror Nancy Newman Rice, SIUE, IL
2019 Juried Art and Design Student Exhibition, juror David Deming, SIUE, IL
2018 Warm Soda Magazine Local Art Exhibition, Old Bakery Beer Co., anonymous jury, Alton, IL
Art Fairs:
2024 Edwardsville Art Fair, Edwardsville Art Center, Edwardsville, IL
2023 Edwardsville Art Fair, Edwardsville Art Center, Edwardsville, IL
Professional Development:
2023 – Present Production glazing and staining, Mississippi Mud Pottery, Alton, IL
2022 – 2023 Illustrator, Why Not Me? A Book About Big Dreams, remote work
2018 – 2019 Stage Artist and Assistant, Painting with a Twist, Edwardsville, IL
Organizations:
2020 Painting and Drawing Association, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2020 SIUE Print Council, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2019 SIUE Print Council, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2018 Painting and Drawing Association, SIUE, IL
Volunteerism:
2019 Friends of Art Annual Art Auction, art donation, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL