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By Morgan Hogerty
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP
STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA
HAIR & MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST
Emma McKee photographed with Maïmouna Guerresi’s Awa in the Winter Garden (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim.
EMMA MCKEE is the Director of Mariane Ibrahim, a contemporary art gallery with a strong focus on emerging artists from the African Diaspora. Founded in 2012 by Somali French art dealer Mariane Ibrahim, the gallery first opened in Seattle before relocating to Chicago’s West Town neighborhood in 2019. It later expanded to Paris in 2021 and Mexico City in 2023. In her role, McKee leads the gallery, focuses on sales and institutional relations, and works very closely with the artists in the program. McKee carves out time to share her favorite spots in the city and along the shore with Sheridan Road.
Recent joys? Frieze Los Angeles, the art fair (I wrote this on my flight to Los Angeles)! And an exhibition opening by artist duo Mwangi Hutter at the gallery, aligned with the celebration for the Pan African exhibition that recently ended at the Art Institute of Chicago, Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica
Mantra? Be grateful Best grooming tip? Dry brush for your lymphatic system Guilty pleasure? No pleasure is guilty Favorite foods? Kimchi, kimchi, and more kimchi Music you love? Currently loving modern classical music—Nils Frahm, Philip Glass, to name a few composers
Best advice ever given to you? Be patient, wait for things to come at the moment they are meant to Best advice you’ve given? Be a “yes” person. To be a whole person, you have to experience everything and anything Earliest memory? Preschool when my best friend, Riley, proposed to me with a tiny ring
When you wake up, you? Turn on music and go straight to my espresso machine to make a cappuccino to drink on the couch, the only quiet moment of the day—I cherish it Before bed, you? Drink ginger and lemon tea
What’s on your bookshelf? An abundance of art books, currently I am reading a book on Joseph Beuys, a German conceptual and Fluxus artist You can’t live without? A dirty martini Love to escape to? Lakeside, Michigan Advice you would give to your younger self? Never ignore your gut, trust your instinct innately
Place to eat? Alcove or LeTour Shop? Pink & Tan, the owner, Maggie, is such a doll and has the most special items Best
thing about the Shore? The beaches, I love Lloyd Beach Park, it’s an adorable tiny cove Worst thing about the Shore? Distance from the city The perfect day is? A drive, visit to Bahá’í House of Worship, and the beach. Or peruse around the beautiful houses and neighborhoods, the architecture is amazing.
Your style is? I wear mostly monochrome colors, black and white preferably, easy and chic. Suits, suits, suits when in business mode, a black turtleneck and trousers with loafers, always with a long coat. My new favorite item is a vintage Marc Jacobs white mini bag. Can’t leave the house without? Lipstick and tea Transportation? Red MINI Cooper Driving music? Italian disco Place to eat? Rootstock Bar Shop? The Center of Order and Experimentation. It is near my home and the gallery, has the loveliest people working there, and the best stationery and candles Best thing about the City? The people, the architecture Worst thing about the City? Lack of mountains and nature The perfect day is? An abundance of time to read and go on a long, long walk (a rarity!)
