Beverly McIver (artist)

Born and raised in Greensboro, McIver received her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham in 1987, where her art teacher Elizabeth Lentz inspired her to become a painter, and an MFA from Pennsylvania State University in University Park in 1992. Beverly McIver is widely acknowledged as a significant presence in contemporary American art, examining racial, gender, and social identities through the lens of her own experiences as an African American female artist. The history of her family and her personal experiences allow McIver to contemplate and illustrate the complicated emotions that arise from these situations, such as depression, frustration, tender compassion, and innocent joy. McIver is renowned for her expression-filled, emotive canvases that commemorate her life and the lives of those closest to her—in particular, her mother, who passed away in 2004, and her sister, who is mentally disabled. Such works reveal as much about the artist as they do about the subjects portrayed therein. As McIver has noted about her paintings, “All of my portraits are self-portraits,” says the artist. “I use the faces of others who reflect my most inner being.” For more information: http://beverlymciverart.com

tags: NC art, NC artist, North Carolina