Artist, Curator, Professor

Brenda McKinney is a painter and mixed media artist based in Carrollton, Texas. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Dallas, Texas, McKinney has developed a studio practice that explores the expressive possibilities of materials and process. Her work moves fluidly between painting, drawing, fiber, and sculptural forms, often incorporating oil paint, ink, recycled papers, textiles, and found materials. Through experimentation with layered surfaces and varied media, McKinney creates works that reflect an ongoing curiosity about material, texture, and the physical act of making.

McKinney earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas in Fashion Design and her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Texas Woman’s University. Her background in both design and fine art has informed her interdisciplinary approach, where elements of structure, surface, and construction often intersect within her work. Process plays a central role in her practice; she views the act of experimentation and discovery as essential to the development of each piece.

Her artwork has been exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. McKinney’s work has received recognition through awards and has been acquired into several permanent collections, including the Texas Woman’s University Institute of Health Sciences in Houston, Texas; Texas Woman’s University Institute of Health Sciences in Dallas, Texas; Presbyterian Hospital Dallas Oncology Center; UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas; and Dallas College, Brookhaven Campus in Farmers Branch, Texas.

In addition to her studio practice, McKinney has been an active advocate for the visual arts in the Dallas–Fort Worth region. She has served in leadership roles within arts organizations, including past President of Dallas Area Fiber Artists and past President of the Texas Visual Arts Association. Through these roles, she has helped support exhibitions, programming, and opportunities for emerging and established artists in the region.

McKinney has also contributed to the arts as a curator. She served as curator of the Discovery Gallery at the Texas Discovery Garden in Fair Park, where she organized exhibitions that highlighted diverse artistic voices and media.

Alongside her professional artistic career, McKinney is a dedicated educator. As a professor of art, she teaches courses in art appreciation and studio practice, encouraging students to develop visual literacy, creative thinking, and an understanding of contemporary artistic practices.

Through her combined work as an artist, curator, educator, and arts advocate, McKinney continues to contribute to the cultural landscape of North Texas while maintaining an active and evolving studio practice.