Danielle Mckinney: Beyond the Brushstroke

Join us for a conversation with breakout contemporary artist Danielle McKinney to celebrate her first book, an intimate collection of portraits of black women resting, pondering, pausing in thought. Her book is a collaboration with her mother, Barbara Mckinney, whose journal prompts prompt reflection and creativity from the reader. Danielle will be in conversation with her mother Barbara and Imani Perry, followed by a signing.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Can't attend? Order your signed copy (please specify that you would like it signed in the comments box at checkout).

The first book from artist Danielle Mckinney, featuring 50 prompts for self-reflection written by her mother and a 44-page journal for the reader to respond

Danielle Mckinney is a rising star in the art world. Her tender, intimate representations of Black women at rest have garnered her a broad and devoted following.

This innovative debut book is a mother-daughter collaboration: 50 of Mckinney’s paintings appear in dialogue with journal prompts written by the artist’s mother, Barbara Mckinney, an educator who embraces the art of creative expression. Journal pages in the back of the book offer readers a chance to write out their responses to the prompts, inspiring a meditative practice.

Beautifully designed and produced, Danielle Mckinney: Beyond the Brushstroke draws new inspiration from the work of this fresh voice in contemporary American art.

In pensive, cinematic portraits, painter Danielle Mckinney captures solitary female protagonists in moments of leisure and respite. Mckinney’s work is in numerous museum collections including: the Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria; the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; the Detroit Institute of Arts; Detroit, MI; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; the New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA; the San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA; the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands; and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY.

Imani Perry is the Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Perry is the author of 9 books, including the New York Times Bestseller South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation which received the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the inaugural Inside Literary Prize, the only book award judged by incarcerated Americans. Perry's other award-winning titles include: May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem, and Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry. Her work has been recognized by the Pen American Foundation, Phi Beta Kappa, The Hurston Wright Foundation, The NAACP, and the National Magazine Awards. Her most recent book: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, was published in January of 2025. Perry has written for numerous publications including: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Bitter Southerner, Harper's and Harper’s Bazaar. Perry is a 2023 recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Pew Foundations. Perry earned her Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from Harvard University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an L.L.M. in 19th century property and contract law from Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.A. in American Studies and Literature from Yale College. Prior to Harvard, she served on the faculties of Princeton University's Department of African American Studies and Rutgers Law School.