Christopher McCready was born with the talent of visual art. The 17-year-old has already won an award for his craft. In the National YoungArts Foundation competition (NYAF), he nabbed a finalist spot in the visual arts category for his original artwork in painting sculpture and mixed media.
McCready won the highest possible achievement alongside 25 other Florida finalists out of the 757 students who participated nationwide. Finalists received $1,000 and an opportunity to compete for the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. YoungArts Week is also a chance for finalists to attend an intensive workshop of performance and study. Students are able to work with the national selection panel and take classes with trained and accomplished artists from around the world.
The Miami Lakes K-8 Center (MLK-8) alumnus is currently attending Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) while enrolled in the fashion design strand. The McCready family has been residents of Miami Lakes since 1989. Marianne McCready, Christopher’s mother, attests to her son’s blossoming talent to his time spent at MLK-8.
“He started to develop his artistic talent in earnest when he enrolled in Maria Ordaz’s art class in middle school at MLK- 8,” explained McCready. “While MLK-8 was not classified as an art magnet school, the art education there was on par with art magnet programs.”
McCready has been applying to various prestigious art schools and has received scholarships to institutions like the School of the Art Institute Chicago, Maryland Institute College of Art and Florida International University. His dream is to become a creative director for a fashion label while breaking down the walls of gender conformity. The young McCready focuses his artwork on the fluidity of androgyny and all possible forms of gender expression.
“It is my belief that by balancing the masculine and the feminine, you reach a perfect harmony,” McCready said. “My goal is to spark thought, raise awareness and encourage conversation on the changing landscape of gender normality.”
This was McCready’s first time competing for the award. For more information about the competition and its participants, visit www.youngarts.org/winners.