"I'm searching to find the most honest discussion about beauty, reality and where these two meet in ordinary people."
Education
2010 – 2013 Masters of Fine Art; Painting, Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids, MI
2011 Study Abroad – Art on the Burren, at The Burren College of Art, Ballyvaughan, Ireland; 3-week program, Painting/Photography/Irish Literature
2004 - 2008 Bachelors of Fine Art; The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Honors
2013 Zhou B Art Center, “Within,” Award of Excellence Winner, Natl. Juried Portrait Exhibition, Chicago, IL
2013 Golden Apple Artist Residency, Artist Residency Scholarship Recipient, Harrington, ME, July 7-21, 2013
2012 The Rapidian, “Revealing the honesty in imperfection with artist Miranda Graham”, online publication, Oct. 5, 2012
2012 ICC Galleries, Honorary Artist Monthly Award, solo exhibition, 2012
2012 Art Prize: Panel Discussion, Grand Rapids Community College, Spectrum Theater, Grand Rapids MI
2012 Art Prize Panel Discussion at GRCC, YouTube video, Spectrum Theater, Grand Rapids MI
2012 International recruitment publication, Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids MI
2011 Canton Daily Ledger, “Canton native’s art displayed at Peoria Art Guild”, Newspaper Publication, December, 21, 2011
2011 Peoria Journal Star, “Canton native uses paintings of gnarled body parts to illustrate life”, Newspaper publication, Dec. 18, 2011
2011 Sandra Cook, “DeVos Place hosts KCAD's 2011 MFA juried exhibition”, Examiner online publication, Dec. 12 2011
2011 Modern Painters, Featured Art for Kendall College Advertisement, International Publication, April 2011
2010 Kendall College of Art & Design, “Fellowship Grant/Merit Award”, Full Tuition, Grand Rapids, MI
2010 Peoria District 150 School, “Premiere: After School Program for the Arts”, Dist. Coordinator & Featured Speaker, Peoria, IL
2010 Peoria Journal Star, “Unhinged”, Newspaper Publication, May, 09, 2010
2010-2009 Peoria Art Guild, “Art 21 Traveling Panel Discussion Series”, Returning Feature Speaker, Peoria, IL
2009 Peoria Art Guild, “CI Creative Canvas Creation Project”, Guest Artist & Feature Speaker, Peoria, IL
2009 Art House Co-op, “The Canvas Project V2: Encyclopedia”, PAG Staff Representative, Juried Print Publication
2009 VIT Senior High School, “Jobs in the Arts 2009”, Speaking Event, Table Grove, IL
2009-2004 Canton High School, “Art: Contemporary Applications”, Guest Speaker, Canton, IL
2008 Peoria Art Guild, “Emerging Artists Exhibition”, Artist Speaking Event, Peoria, IL
2005 School of the Art Institute, “Art Bash 2005”, Invitational Event, Chicago, IL
Exhibitions
2014 Kendall College of Art & Design: “Best of the Golden Apple”, Scholarship Showcase, Grand Rapids, MI
2014 Spiral Gallery: “Paint Snob: Alumni Exhibition”, Juried Show, Grand Rapids, MI
2014 Urban Institute of Contemporary Art: “MEGA” (MI Emerging Graduate Artists), State Juried Show, Grand Rapids, MI
2014 Zhou B Arts Center: “Fixation”, National Juried Show, Chicago, IL
2014 Kendall College of Art & Design: “Golden Apple Alumni Exhibition”, Scholarship Recipient Show, Grand Rapids, MI
2014 Coconino Center for the Arts, “The Un-Still Life,” Juried Exhibition, Flagstaff, AZ
2014 Kendall College of Art & Design: “Golden Apple Alumni Exhibition”, Scholarship Recipient Show, Grand Rapids, MI
2013 Zhou B Arts Center: “Within”, National Juried Portrait Exhibition, Chicago, IL
2013 Dunlap Arts Center: “A Case of Living”, Solo Show, Dunlap, IL
2013 Kendall College of Art & Design: “Impact”, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Grand Rapids, MI
2012 Illinois Central College: Honored Local Artist, “A Case of Living”, Solo Show, Peoria, IL
2012 Kendall College Fine Art Exhibition, Traveling Show, Guangzhou, Shanghai, & Beijing China
2012 University Club’s: Emerging Artists Exhibition, Grand Rapids, MI
2012 Peoria Art Guild’s: Local Color, “A Case of Living”, Solo Show, Peoria, IL
2012 Art Prize; “A Case of Living”, Venue: John Collins Gallery, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, MI
2012 CODA Gallery, Small works exhibition, CODA Gallery, Grand Rapids MI
2012 Art Downtown: Grandville Studios, Grand Rapids, MI
2011 MFA Juried Exhibition: Kendall College of Art & Design, DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI
2011 Kendall College of Art & Design: Ireland Study Exhibition, Grand Rapids, 2011
2011 Free Radical Show, 3 Person Show, Grand Rapids, MI
2011 Art Prize; “Purgatory”, Venue: Open Concept Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
Venue: Open Concept Gallery, Grand Rapids MI
2011 MFA Candidates Exhibition, CODA Gallery, Grand Rapids MI
2011 Art Downtown: Grandville Studios, Grand Rapids, MI
2010 Free Radical Show, MFA Club Group Show: 44 Ionia, Grand Rapids, MI
2010 MFA Incoming Painters Exhibition, Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids, MI
2010 Arbor Gallery, “Unhinged”, Kickapoo Creek Winery, Kickapoo, IL
2010 CI Creative Local Juried Show, “Happily Negotiated-Self”, Peoria, IL
2010 Elemental Divas Holiday Fair Invitational, Peoria, IL
2009 Not Your Average Joe’s: Holiday Showcase, Dunlap, IL
2009-2008 Peoria Art Guild’s: 8x8 Art Auction & Fundraiser, Peoria, IL
2009-2008 Methodist Annual Fine Arts Invitational, Peoria, IL
2009-2005 Peoria Art Guild’s: Bi-Annual Member’s Show, Peoria, IL
2008 Peoria Art Guild’s: Emerging Artist’s Show, Peoria, IL
2008 Canton High School: Alumni Invitational Exhibition, Canton, IL
2008 Art Institute of Chicago: Undergraduate Thesis, “Happily Negotiated Self”, Chicago, IL
2005 School of the Art Institute: Art Bash 2005, “Dating Advice”, Chicago, IL
“Beauty and honesty reside in the everyday pains of existence that most insist on hiding. Through the act of exposing these pains, I hope to explore the dignity of what’s real. In these portraits, I am chronicling life, expressing the duality of every moment, the beauty of imperfection. In the most alien, the most often concealed and overlooked, is where I’m searching to find the most honest discussion about beauty, reality and where these two meet in ordinary people. I grew up surrounded by disastrous occurrences, feats of flesh, and close encounters. Some of these disasters were mine, but many others were my father’s and grandfather’s; from sharing their moments of trauma as if my own. Each mark or dent is particular to a proud story worth telling over and over. This work is quite influenced by a genealogy, of family deficits, deformations, and biological damage, and the notion of creating memories or timelines through shared scars.”