Bio
Melanie is a Brooklyn, NY based artist who focuses on the relationships between people within the dense urban environment of the city. Third places or meeting places within the city act as an extension of our homes. While these third places can be obvious places such as cafes and parks, they can also pop up unexpectedly on a smaller scale at crosswalks, on benches, outside of businesses, etc. It's through the observation of how people share and interact within the playground that our built environment provides that drives much of Melanie's work. Born and raised in Columbus, IN she received her master’s degree in architecture from Indiana University. Melanie’s work has been exhibited throughout Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Artist Statement
Melanie explores the effects of the built environment—and the overlaid societal boundaries—on human experience. Since relocating to New York, she has been drawn to the idea of third places: informal gathering spaces that exist outside of home and work, though those are more frequently the same for many people. Her work investigates this concept through a slightly gritty, often overlooked lens, focusing on meeting places such as underpasses, bridges, crosswalks, sidewalks and outside of businesses.
Through oil painting, she captures the fleeting interactions that occur in these shared public spaces. To her, these moments add meaningful human connection to be built, especially within the dense and diverse community that we share. In these paintings, color is drawn from both observation and intuition, infusing each piece with a sense of energy and mood. They are both structured and fluid - allowing me to explore the urban context, the figure, light and shadow and tension and release that fluctuates between people.
In an era marked by isolation, social fragmentation, and increasing commercialization, her work creates space for reflection—inviting viewers to reconsider how we gather, connect, and imagine new ways of being together.