Mclaine One of the Featured Designers at the Frist Center Artist's Forum
July 23, 2015
Mclaine and Amanda Valentine were the featured designers at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts Artist's Forum on July 23. Both Mclaine and Amanda's designs have been influenced from their travels to Italy, so they were a natural fit to discuss their inspiration in association with the "Italian Style: Fashion since 1945" exhibit currently at the Frist. Their Fall 2014 Project Runway collaboration was even named "Roman Holiday".
Mclaine shared her story, creative process, inspiration and struggles in the full auditorium followed by Q&A. She knew that she was an artist from a young age, but didn't quite know where that path would lead. Through years of exploration and self discovery, she embraced the fact that she's an artist at heart, but a business person by nature. She wrote an individualized curriculum plan at Furman University to study both art and business that culminated with a study abroad program at Lorenzo d'Medici in Florence, Italy. It was in Italy that she fell in love with jewelry design and traditional metalsmith techniques. Little did she know what the future would hold!
