Artist Bio
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Heather MacBeath is a visual and performing artist. Inspired by the movement of the human body and how dance can be used to express human emotions, MacBeath creates choreography that explores spirituality, mental health, and empathy. Parallel to her dance composition, MacBeath also creates oil paintings that capture moments of balance, strength, and self-awareness in the dancer’s body movements.
MacBeath earned her Bachelor in Fine Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in 2D Art and a minor in Dance at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. She is anticipated to earn her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Directing in May of 2027 from Wilson College. MacBeath has been practicing studio art since childhood and has had dance training at the Dance Place in Arlington, MA, BoSoma School of Dance in Hamilton, MA, and Endicott College in Beverly, MA. MacBeath has performed with the BoSoma Youth Company at BoSoma School of Dance, the Repertory Dance Ensemble at Endicott College, OnStage Dance Company in Malden, MA, and choreographed several dances for the stage and film.
MacBeath has interned with several local artists in the North Shore area, including plein air artist Joli Ann Wood, Todd Montanaro at Gallery Montanaro, and Timothy Neill at Allied Conservation. She has also collaborated with local artists Howard Kong of Howard Kong Photography and Katherine Hooper of BoSoma Dance Company. MacBeath’s artwork and dance choreography have been featured in multiple art exhibitions, including the Student Invitational Exhibition at Endicott College, where her artworks were featured four years in a row while studying there, won the second place award, and the third place award the following year. She has created many commissioned artworks and is always open for collaboration with other artists across creative disciplines.
Artist Statement
As a visual and performing artist, artmaking is my way of communicating my experiences, expressing myself, and finding catharsis. Verbalizing my experiences does not translate my feelings accurately, but when I paint or when I dance, they are presented in a more tangible way. My artmaking has opened my own mind to new perspectives through trying new techniques and collaborating with fellow artists. I believe that because I was given my talent in visual and performing art, I am responsible for using it to create an environment of open-mindedness and empathy for all who participate in and view my work.
My primary mediums of artmaking are oil paint and dance choreography, while I also use a variety of other mediums such as watercolor painting, sketches, ink drawings, illustration, photography, and video editing. I am always open to trying a new medium and do not limit myself to one or two forms of art. I also believe in the art of collaboration across differing practices in the arts such as dance, painting, music composition, lighting, videography, set design, costume design, singing, writing, and theater.
I am currently exploring the relationship between artistic disciplines and how they can overlap and expand past the boxes in which they are often placed. Most of my life, I have only ever danced on a stage, but I have recently explored site-sensitive performance and the idea of dancing in a non-proscenium setting. This expansion of possibilities applies to my painting as well, as I have mainly painted on a canvas or a wood panel in the past, but I am currently exploring painting on other surfaces, such as fabric and clothing. The notion of becoming a master of one medium impedes my creative process, therefore I keep my options and mind open to possibilities beyond my current practice.