MaKinlie Jade McRae (Hennes) was born in Belleville, Kansas, but was raised in the country on a farm nestled between Downs, Osborne and Tipton, Kansas. Family members share with McRae that she has expressed her creativity through fashion, drawing, painting, photography, dance, singing and performing for as long as they could remember; meaning this career path came as no surprise to anyone. McRae is the daughter of Kelli, a kindergarten teacher and the late Jason Hennes, a blue-collar man of many trades. Jason Hennes struggled with addiction and took his own life when McRae was 15-years-old, leaving her behind as well as her mother and two sisters. McRae attended and graduated from Lakeside High School in Downs, Kansas; the school district her mother teaches for. After high school, McRae attended Fort Hays State University and obtained a BFA in Graphic Design, graduating Cum Laude in 2019.

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MaKinlie McRae graduated from Fort Hays State University in December of 2022 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia with concentrations in Photography, Performance Art and Graphic Design. McRae has been working with digital photography for six years, and continues to learn and experiment with her evolving practice each year. She also recently began learning the darkroom process and is excited to implement this medium into her work. Formally, she focuses on textures, dramatic lighting, and black and white and color digital editing. McRae’s work is centered around advocacy, storytelling, honest vulnerability, and the autonomy over the sense of self. She enjoys sharing her own experiences as well as the stories of others. Photo work from McRae has been shown in various gallery shows throughout the Hays and surrounding communities, including the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art and Patricia A. Schmidt Gallery at Fort Hays State University, the Colby Prairie Museum of Art and History, the FHSU Art and Design: Fortitude and Persistence show at the Hays Arts Center and more.