Rose Art Museum Names Danielle Mckinney 2025 Ruth Ann and Nathan Perlmutter Artist-in-Residence

Rose Art Museum has announced Danielle Mckinney as its 2025 Ruth Ann and Nathan Perlmutter Artist-in-Residence. Since 2002, the Perlmutter Award has been part of the Rose Art Museum’s longstanding tradition of recognizing and supporting emerging artists of extraordinary talent. A painter of pensive and cinematic portraits of Black women, Mckinney’s residency will culminate in the exhibition Danielle Mckinney: Tell me More, August 20, 2025–January 4, 2026, at the Rose. Tell me More will be the artist’s debut museum presentation in the United States.

"Danielle Mckinney is a brilliant painter whose intimate and jewellike canvases evoke a broad range of emotions and art-historical associations. Her lush and sensuous paintings expand the genre of portraiture, inspiring awe and contemplation,” said Dr. Gannit Ankori, Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator. "We are excited to welcome her to campus and look forward to her meaningful interactions with our students and our communities."

Mckinney’s work is a deeply personal exploration of portraiture, color, and composition. Her work draws from a wide range of sources, rooted in an expansive dialogue with art history while remaining true to her unique vision. Trained as a photographer, Mckinney begins by priming her canvases with a black ground, pulling her figures and settings out of shadow in a process reminiscent of film developing in a darkroom. Her compositions are meticulously constructed: a pose borrowed from a 19th-century photograph, the tilt of a head inspired by a vintage magazine shoot, or a coy expression echoing a famous painting. Yet, through these influences, Mckinney crafts paintings imbued with a singular vision and a specificity that is uniquely her own.

In addition to her exhibition, McKinney will participate in engagements with the Brandeis community during the Fall 2025 semester. Danielle McKinney: Tell me More promises to captivate audiences with the emotional resonance of her paintings and her bold dedication to beauty—a powerful statement in a time when unapologetic beauty is most needed.

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