Ryann McKinney

Bio

Ryann McKinney was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They are inspired by their experience living with a gynecological disease as a gender non-conforming person. In 2021, Ryann graduated with an associate's degree in studio arts from Aims Community College in Loveland and Greeley, Colorado. They transferred into the ceramics program at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) where they graduated with a BFA in 2025.

Ryann’s achievements include exhibiting in six KCAI ceramics department's bi-annual end-of-semester shows. At KCAI, she also participated in Tactility, an exhibition of works made to be experienced through touch. For two years, Ryann served as a work-study assistant, archiving and cataloging pieces in the ceramics department, teaching a collection of over 600 artworks made by students and professionals. They have had several opportunities to assist in local ceramic studios, including an internship for The Cherry Pit Collective, a Kansas City artist-run space, and as a fabricator of experimental architectural designs for the Boston Valley Terra Cotta ACAW program. Ryann has also been awarded the SICK Magazine micro-grant for disabled artists and 3rd place in the 30th Annual Juried Student Exhibition in the Kansas City Artists Coalition gallery.

Artist Statement

My art is inspired by my research on the history of gynecological health and my experience with severe stage-four endometriosis. I focus on the impact of living with disabilities through sculptural hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramics, exploring forms that allude to or mimic the body.

My vessels are embellished with yonic and vanitas iconographies, including gynecological medical instruments and abstracted skulls that represent the negative impacts and threats to the quality of life while living with endometriosis. Oftentimes, the genesis of my work is the frustration and anger I feel as I manage my symptoms. I put that energy into clay. Forms are thrown on the wheel and then manipulated through the addition of sculpted details or physically changing their shape once taken off the wheel. This practice involves the whole body, and each step is informed by my relationship with my body alongside my internal experiences of chronic illness.

Utilizing imagery and information from the history of gynecological medicine informs how I incorporate associated iconography in new and unique ways. I aim to raise awareness of these traumas and nurture an environment that can connect and educate people, whatever their knowledge or experiences of gynecological health may be.

Exhibitions