McCharen was awarded the Smithsonian National Design Award, was recognized by Forbes 30 under 30 “People Who Are Reinventing the World” and was honored in the OUT 100 as one of the LGBTQ’s communities’ brightest voices. Their work has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Vogue. Collaborations include Beyoncé, Intel, Disney, Reebok, MAC and MIT.
They gave a TED Talk on inclusive design, and have spoken at SXSW, Harvard, Parsons, Pratt and the Fashion Institute of Technology. They have been an artist-in-residence at MASS MoCA, the Studios of Key West and Santa Fe Art Institute. McCharen curated ‘Queer Joy’ at the MoMA PS1 and their work has been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a Miami resident, McCharen has facilitated design and art workshops at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Lotus House women’s shelter, the Miami Workers Center and is currently an artist in residence at Miami Cancer Institute.
