Right now, I'm wondering...
Right now, I'm wondering...
Mckenna Goade
Artist/Inventor/Question Asker
New York, NY
EDUCATION
The New School — Parsons School of Design — MFA in Fine Arts | New York, NY | Expected May 2026
Utah Valley University — BFA in Painting and Drawing; Minor in Art History | Orem, UT | Graduated December 2023
GRANTS AND HONORS
Valedictorian — Utah Valley University, School of the Arts, Orem, UT | 2024
Parsons School of Design Scholarship — The New School, New York, NY | 2024-2026
Dean’s Merit Scholarship — Utah Valley University, Orem, UT | 2022-2024
Summa Cum Laude — Utah Valley University, Orem, UT | 2024
Dean’s List — Utah Valley University, Orem, UT | 2020-2024
Wolverine Completion Grant — Utah Valley University, Orem, UT | 2023
RELEVANT EMPLOYMENT
2025 AUG — Present
Teacher’s Assistant
Core Studio 1:3D
Faculty — Damien Vera
Leads critiques, demos, and lectures for undergraduate Parsons BFA Fine Arts students. Assists in ideating, producing, and installing various student projects. Demonstrates basic techniques and methodologies within 3D media: materials, form, space, and installation.
2025 JAN — 2025 AUG
Teacher’s Assistant
Special Topics 3D: Translating a Copy
Faculty — Pooneh Maghazehe
Led critiques and brainstorming sessions with undergraduate Parsons BFA Fine Arts students. Assisted in ideating, producing, and installing their various projects. Helped students link their work to course readings and offered additional readings and artists for them to research.
2024 Summer — Present
Research Assistant
Lan Thao Lam
Developed essential organizational tools for Lam’s studio. Constructed frames to address a light leakage problem for Lam’s graduate RGB in XYZ class. Implemented framing designs with advanced wood joinery. Create architectural models in 3D rendering software.
2024 Summer — Present
Research Assistant
Catherine Telford Keogh
Execute designs for sculpture installation. Work on detailed sculptural elements in Keogh’s installations. Complete miscellaneous artist assistant tasks.
Assisted Keogh by sanding, repairing, and painting the walls and floors of Keogh’s studio and spray booth.
2024 DEC — Present
Gallery Assistant
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery & Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries.
Assist in the installation and de-installation of all gallery exhibitions in 2025.
2025 JAN — Present
Studio Monitor
Parsons MFA Fine Arts
Maintains the Parsons MFA and BFA studios to comply with regulations. Communicates with students about studio spaces. Assists in identifying solutions to improve the studio spaces/community. Repairs studio and installation spaces. Meets weekly with Space Coordinators to ensure space upkeep.
2022 AUG — 2024 MAY
SOA Student Lead Technician
Utah Valley University
Assisted in all maintenance and production for the Noorda Center for Performing Arts.
CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS
2023 SECAC (Formerly South-Eastern Colleges Conference)
Grown Systems: Interrogating Life Cycles
Faculty Advisor Amber Tutwiler
Session Chair, Amy Chan
Richmond, VA
2023 Utah Art History Symposium
Verrocchio, Leonardo Da Vinci, and the Rise of the Artist in Quattrocento Italy
Faculty Advisor Dr. Charlotte Poulton
Orem, UT
2023 Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research
The Presence of Absence: Exploring the Shadows of Death
Faculty Advisor Alexandra Giannell
The University of Utah, Salt Lake, UT
2023 Scholarly and Creative Undergraduate Learning Partnership Team (SCULPT)
The Presence of Absence: Exploring the Shadows of Death.
Faculty Advisor Alexandra Giannell
Utah Valley University, Orem, UT
AWARDS
2023 Painting Drawing Area Award.
Student Art Exhibition. Utah Valley University, Orem, UT. Juried by Douglas Fryer. Spill Your Guts.
2023 Humanities Research Prize.
Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research. Salt Lake, UT. The Presence of Absence: Exploring the Shadows of Death.
2023 Second Place Creative Works.
Scholarly and Creative Undergraduate Learning Partnership Team (SCULPT). Orem, UT. The Presence of Absence: Exploring the Shadows of Death.
2023 Second Place Art Award.
Touchstones Undergraduate Journal. Utah Valley University, Orem, UT. Juried by Alexandra Giannell. All At Once.
2022 Cover Art Award.
Touchstones Undergraduate Journal. Utah Valley University, Orem, UT. The Beginning and The End
2021 First Place Art Award.
Touchstones Undergraduate Journal. Utah Valley University, Orem, UT. Juried by Lovetta Reyes-Cairo. Falsely Positive.
EXHIBITIONS
2026 Thesis Exhibition, 2 W 13th Street, New York, NY (upcoming)
2025 Open Studios, 39 W 13th Street, New York, NY (upcoming)
2024 Open Studios, 25 East Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Common Ground, 25 East Gallery, Curated by Danielle Sargeant, New York, NY
2024 Until It Dies (Solo Show), Odd Duck Studio, Provo, UT
2024 Alumni Art Exhibition, Lakemount Museum of Art, Orem, UT
2023 The Grass Grows (BFA Exhibition), Gallery on 6th, Orem, UT
2023 Composing Chaos (Art & Design Book Exhibition), Gallery on 6th, Curated by Eden Christensen, Ember Martinez, and Olivia Harris, Orem, UT
2023 Student Art Exhibition, Noorda Center for the Performing Arts, Curated and Juried by Douglas Fryer, Orem, UT
2023 Echoes of Absence, Gallery 402, Group Exhibition with Hollie Anderson and Brittney Weiland, Orem, UT
2022 Walking, Gallery 402, Exhibition with Marissa Albrecht, Orem, UT
2022 Student Art Exhibition Online Exhibition, Curated and Juried by UVU Museum of Art
2022 Instinct. Black and White Works on Paper, Gallery on 6th, Curated by UVU Department of Art + Design Faculty, Orem, UT
2022 Motherhood: Hurt and Hope, Gallery on 6th, Curated by Arika Lau, Orem, UT
2022 A New Page, JKR Gallery, Curated by J. Kirk Richards, Provo, UT
ART PUBLICATIONS
2021- 2023 Touchstones, Undergraduate for Creative Writing, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, Multiple featured works.
2021-2023 Essais, Undergraduate Journal for Literary Criticism, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, Multiple featured works.
2021 Journal of Student Leadership, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, Multiple featured works.
WRITING PUBLICATIONS
2023 The Inner Need, Composing Chaos, Art and Design Book Series, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT.
2023 Notwendigkeit and Abstraction, Artemisia, Undergraduate Art History Journal, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT.
LEADERSHIP
2025 Open Studios Student Representative
Parsons MFA Fine Arts
Meet weekly with the Student-Faculty Liaison (Jonah Groeneboer) to ensure the success of the Open Studios event. Communicate with peers on deadlines and develop solutions to problems as they arise. Create organizational and planning tools to communicate among peers.
2023 Art and Design Department Representative
Utah Valley University Student Association, Academic Senate
Advocated for the voice of Art and Design students in Academic Senate councils. Curated and displayed work from Art and Design Students for on-campus events. Restructured the BFA curriculum to include cross-disciplinary study. Met with the Dean and Associate Dean of the School of the Arts and the Art and Design Department Chair to evaluate faculty and student needs and make plans to improve the Art and Design Department.