My creative liberation is an act of rebellion. A way of vocalizing the graffiti of words and images in my head. Drawing inspiration from urban street art, much of my work is crafted with the grunge of city culture, the sounds of shaking spray cans, and the smell of aerosol in mind. Mixing mediums, my personal expression manifests in the form of typographic prose, abstract paintings, photographic narration, handcrafted objects, character illustrations and digital imagery.
Much of what I create is in homage to the people, places, sights, and sounds that continuously mold my style and creative outlook. My work has journeyed from pen and ink, to graphic prints, and currently to mixed media and acrylic paint on a variety of surfaces. The themes have varied, but often touch on subjects of hip hop culture, race, and social justice.
As an arts educator, I’ve made it my mission to make the arts and art creation accessible to people of all ages, but especially for youth and young adults from our city’s underserved communities. Much of my programming and my teaching in the school setting is facilitated within our inner city, in order to give the youth of these areas inspiration and to be a representation of what is possible.
Ess, as in the letter "S" for Sylvia, and McKee - my middle name.
Hello, I am Ess McKee.
Since the age of eight, my love for creativity, music and the arts has inspired me to make my dream of becoming an innovative, artistic entrepreneur, a reality.
I discovered my passion through my appreciation of graffiti art and hip hop culture. By creating sketches for my classmates in middle school and designing t-shirts for different organizations, I began to grow in my craft and came to realize where my talents would best be served. I decided to continue to develop these talents in college while attending Ball State University, (where I majored in Industry & Technology, and minored in Studio Art). In addition to pursing my education, I was given the opportunity to create several t-shirt designs for the members of the Ball State Track & Field Team. On Ball State campus is where my entrepreneurship and life of an artist began.
Currently, I am an art teacher for grades K-8, a mixed media visual artist/muralist/photographer, adjunct faculty at IUPUI - Herron School of Art & Design and a member of the XVIII Art Collective.
*Solo shows marked by asterisk
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TINY XI Gallery 924, Indianapolis
December 2, 2022 - January 12, 2023
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XVIII: PERSPECTIVE The Harrison Center, Indianapolis
November 4-28, 2022
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WE. THE CULTURE: Works by The Eighteen Art Collective The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields September 22, 2022 - September 24, 2023
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BUTTER ART FAIR The Stutz Building, Indianapolis
September 1-4, 2022
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FUTURE FORWARD Saks Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, Indianapolis
August 9 - September 6, 2022
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THAT FEELING WHEN* The Harrison Center, Indianapolis
June 3, 2022 - June 30, 2022
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MEET THE ARTIST XXXIV The Indianapolis Central Library
January 26, 2022 - April 2, 2022
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THE EIGHTEEN: 365+ The Indianapolis Art Center
August 27, 2021 - October 15, 2021
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"PARK HERE" MURAL - LILLY DAY OF SERVICE Garfield Park, Indianapolis September 2021
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BUTTER ART FAIR The Stutz Building, Indianapolis
September 3-5, 2021
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"HAPPY DAZE" MURAL - THE ART WALK AT CLAY TERRACE Clay Terrace, Carmel August 2021 - October 2022
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Stories from Our Community: The Art of Protest The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
August 7, 2021 - present
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“KIDS STUFF”, “ODE TO VINYL”, “UNTITLED” - MURALS
Ujamaa Community Bookstore, Indianapolis
July 2021
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Pareidolia KIND Gallery - The Indianapolis International Airport June - October 2021t
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MURALS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE: ONE YEAR LATER - PANELIST
The Arts Council of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Public Library
June 12, 2021
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Grind Culture The Harrison Center, Indianapolis
April 2021
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Distress Signal* Purdue Black Cultural Center - West LafayetteApril 2021
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THE GROWTH ADVENTURE PODCAST - GUEST. Gregory & Appel, Indianapolis
March 18, 2021
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“WELCOME TO INDY” - BANNER ILLUSTRATOR/DESIGNER
Gregory & Appel, Indianapolis
March 2021
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“POWER TO THE PATIENTS”- MURAL Bluebeard Restaurant, Fountain Square
March 2021
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Distress Signal* The Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis November 2020
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THE ELEPHANT GARDENS - MURAL The Elephant Gardens, Indpls
November 2020
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“ALICE CARTER PARK MURAL” Alice Carter Park, Indianapolis
August 2020
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“S” - BLACK LIVES MATTER MURAL Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis
August 2020
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“THE FUTURE IS NOW” MURALS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
The Arts Council of Indianapolis, Indianapolis
June 12, 2020
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“SHINING LIGHT” - SIGNAGE - ART & SEEK (ARTS COUNCIL OF INDPLS)
New York & Rural, Indianapolis
May, 2020