Alexa Meade facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexa Meade
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Meade in the self-portrait Double Take
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| Born | 1986 (age 38–39) Washington, D.C.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Vassar College |
| Known for | Installation art, painting, photography |
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Notable work
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Body painting Ariana Grande, Color of Reality, Wonderland Dreams on Fifth Avenue |
| Awards | TED Speaker, Tribeca Film Festival – "Disruptive Innovation Award", Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics – "Artist in Residence", Google - Artist in Residence, World Trade Center - “Artist in Residence” |
Alexa Meade, born in 1986, is an amazing American artist. She is famous for painting on people and everyday objects. Her art makes them look like flat, two-dimensional paintings when you see them or take a photo. It's like a real person turns into a painting! One of her cool projects was painting singer Ariana Grande for her 2018 music video "God is a Woman".
Contents
Early Life and Art Journey
Alexa Meade was born in Washington, D.C. She grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In 2009, she finished college at Vassar College in New York. She studied political science, thinking she would work in politics. She even worked for politicians on Capitol Hill.
How Alexa Meade Started Painting
In 2009, Alexa took an art class in college. She became curious about how light and space work. She tried painting black where shadows fell on the ground. Then, she painted a person's body to look like a grayscale map of light. She realized she could make a 3D person look like a flat painting!
This discovery changed her mind about her future. Even though she grew up around politics, art felt like a better fit for her. After college, she practiced painting in her parents' basement. She painted everyday things like grapefruits and eggs. She believes not having formal art training helped her think outside the box. She didn't feel like painting had to be only on a canvas.
Becoming a Viral Artist
Alexa Meade first became famous in 2010. A short blog post about her work went viral online. Soon, news channels like CNN featured her art. Her website got thousands of views overnight.
One of her most famous early artworks was "Transit." She painted an older man in her studio. Then, she photographed him riding the Washington, D.C. metro. He looked like a painting that had come to life! In 2013, Alexa gave a TEDGlobal talk. She shared how she started her unique art career.
Amazing Art Projects
Alexa Meade has created many exciting art projects. She often makes people and objects look like paintings.
Color of Reality
In 2016, Alexa painted dancers Jon Boogz and Lil Buck. They were part of a short film called Color of Reality. This film used painting and dance to tell a story. It explored topics like gun violence and racial tensions. Lil Buck performed his special dance style called Memphis Jookin’. This style mixes ballet with street dancing.
The film was highly praised. The New York Times called it "a van Gogh brought to life." It was shown at famous places like Lincoln Center. The film also won an award for its impact on art.
Painting Ariana Grande
In 2018, Alexa painted singer Ariana Grande for her music video "God Is a Woman". The video director saw Alexa's earlier project called Milk: What Will You Make of Me?. In that project, Alexa painted an artist who lay in a tub of milk. The paint colors swirled around her.
For Ariana Grande's video, Alexa painted her in shades of lavender, blue, and white. Ariana floated in a pool as the colors moved around her. Allure called the imagery "striking and empowering." Alexa's painted style even started a new beauty trend!
Wonderland Dreams on Fifth Avenue
In the fall of 2022, Alexa Meade opened an amazing art show. It was called Wonderland Dreams. This interactive exhibit was on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Alexa spent two months transforming a huge space. She used 2,000 gallons of paint!
She used her special 3D painting style to create a 2D dream world. Live, hand-painted models were part of the show. Over 100,000 people visited Wonderland Dreams during its year-long run.
Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection
After Wonderland Dreams, Alexa created the Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection in 2023. This public art show was 180 feet long on Fifth Avenue. It featured 12-foot-tall colorful portraits of New Yorkers. These included Tony Award-winning actors like J. Harrison Ghee.
Artist in Residence Programs
Alexa Meade has been invited to be an artist in residence at several places. In 2015, she worked at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. She studied physics and created art with scientists. She was also an artist in residence at Google. There, she worked with engineers on new light technology. In 2023, she was chosen as the artist in residence at 3 World Trade Center.
Other Cool Projects
In 2010, Alexa's art was shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London. In 2012, she did a live performance at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. She also worked with musician Avicii in 2014. She painted large public art pieces in cities like Madrid and Toronto.
In 2015, Alexa created art in Paris, France. She had exhibitions at the Grand Palais. In 2016, she was invited to the White House by President Barack Obama. This event showed off creators and innovators. In 2017, she toured with Refinery29's 29Rooms exhibit. She also created art for Meta (formerly Facebook) at a festival. Her 2018 exhibition Immersed in Wonderland in Beverly Hills had 40,000 visitors.
Awards and Honors
In 2017, Alexa Meade received the Disruptive Innovation Award. This award from the Tribeca Film Festival celebrates people who inspire new ideas.
Google Arts & Culture also chose Alexa to create artwork. She helped celebrate the life of famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Alexa's work was part of the "Faces of Frida" project.
See also
In Spanish: Alexa Meade para niños
