Mackenzie Vartanian, born and raised 10 minutes outside the city of Washington DC. She was introduced to painting early on by her father and subsequently enrolled in the Corcoran Museum Summer Art Program in Washington. While she worked in pastels, acrylics and ceramics, she became an expert in gemstones, which she used as a silversmith to explore the boundaries of her jewelry designs in her own company, “Awen Designs.”

Mackenzie has been classically trained soprano since the age of seven and was accepted the DePaul University Music Conservatory in Chicago Illinois. However, art has always been the strongest calling in her life, so she enrolled in the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota Florida, where she graduated with honors and numerous awards and distinctions in May of 2015. She recieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts specializing in Sculpture, and with a minor in Business.

While studying at Ringling Mackenzie approached art from many different vantage points eventually incorporating welding into her work. She has developed a reputation for her “wearable art,” which are further enhanced through performance. Besides her sculpture work the other half of Mackenzie’ focus is in costume and production design.

In 2013 Mackenzie interned for the Conan O’Brien show in the costume department, and also for Jerry Bruckheimer Films. She has experience working on sets, her most recent project working costume for the indie film, “The Haircut,” Starring Bailey Noble (HBO TrueBlood) and Molly Quinn (ABC Castle). She designed costumes and sets for several Ringling student films and other events such as Avant-Garde Annual Scholarship Gala, and R&B singer Ray Lavender’s music video “I Be GoingDown.”  

         Mackenzie has also been involved in multiple collaborations with other artists, including a show curated by Wassan Al-Khdairi. The show “Bamboo Scaffolding” was hosted by the Two Columns Gallery in Sarasota Florida, and was a mixture of wearable art, paintings, prints, performance, and video art. Her other collaborated shows at the Crossly Gallery in Sarasota Florida, “Antecedents,” and the installation show, “Cortex.”

From all her experiences thus far and looking into the future she is interested in continuing her own work as an artist and continuing gallery work. She is looking to become a certified welder, to launch her first official jewelry boutique online, and work in theatre and opera costume workshops. 

For more information on Mackenzie's work, to get in touch regarding employment opportunities, or to just say hello