Snake Eyes
Melissa Stern
Bio
Melissa Stern is an artist and journalist living in NYC.
Melissa has worked in sculpture, photography and drawing for over twenty years, exhibiting throughout the U.S., as well as Europe and Asia. She has made a multi-media installation exhibition, The Talking Cure, that has been traveling to museums around the States. since 2012. Her work is featured in a number of prominent corporate and museum collections including News Corporation, JP Morgan, The Arkansas Art Center, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, Racine Art Museum, and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis.
With a background in anthropology, Melissa’s work reflects both non-Western and outsider-art influences. Her drawings, collages, and figurative sculptures are richly drawn and deeply layered, with quirky, often dark humor.
“I work like a handyman cobbling together drawings and sculptures from elements found, borrowed, and imagined. I use a wide range of materials from encaustic to clay, pastel to steel. The drawings and sculptures, often made in tandem, resonate with one another, the ideas in one reinforcing the themes of the other. All of my pieces share a thematic thread. Childlike and goofy my figures live in a dream world, cower in relationships or stand tall in the face of adversity. They are at once dark and funny, expressive of the absurd world around them.”
Stern serves as a contributing writer for Hyperallergic, the Brooklyn-based digital arts publication, working at the intersection of the arts, culture, and politics. She has covered major exhibitions on assignment throughout the world. She served earlier as the principle art critic for The New York Press. She is a past Board Director of The Children’s Museum of the Arts in NYC, Watershed Center in Maine and contributing curator of the Human Rights Film Festival from 2008-2015.
Curriculum Vitae
1976-1980 BA Anthropology and Studio Art, Cum Laude with Honors in Anthropology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
1982-1984 MFA Ceramics, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
2021 HOUSEBROKEN- the gallery LTD, Brooklyn NY
STRANGE GIRLS-SHANGHAI-Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai, China
STRONGER THAN DIRT- Lockwood Gallery, Kingston, NY
2020 DOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE?- Firecat Projects. Chicago, Ill.
2018 STRANGE GIRLS – Garvey Simon, NY, NY THE TALKING CURE – Kranzberg Center for Contemporary Art.
2017 YOU’RE SOAKING IN IT – Station Independent Projects, NY, NY
2016 THE TALKING CURE – The Weisman Art Museum. Minn. MN
LOOSE LIPS – The Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
THE TALKING CURE – Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, SC 2015
THE TALKING CURE – Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT 2014
A YEAR IN PICTURES – SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna, Canada
THE TALKING CURE – Akron Museum of Art, Akron Ohio.
2012 THE TALKING CURE – Smart Clothes Gallery, NY, NY (catalogue)
THE TALKING CURE – Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2011 NEW MATH- DRAWINGS – Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA
LIFE DURING WARTIME – HEADS – Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
NEW SCULPTURE – SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna, Canada
2009 STEP RIGHT UP – bahdeebahdu Gallery, Philadelphia PA
COMING UP FOR AIR – Fetherston Gallery, Seattle WA
LOOSE LIPS – Drawing Exhibition – Milsaps College, Jackson, MS
2008 A COMMON SPACE – Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2007 ABOVE THE BELT – Studioswan, Atlanta, GA
FAMILY VALUES – Gallery 31 North, Glen Gardner, NJ
2006 LOOSE LIPS – Drawing Exhibition – Zihlka Gallery, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
BIRDLAND – David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN
2005 FAMILY VALUES – WeissPollack Gallery, NY, NY
2003 VACATION – Spike Gallery, NY, NY
MY FRIENDS – David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN
2002 BACK TO SCHOOL – The Children’s Museum of the Arts, NY, NY (catalogue)
2001 NEW WORK – Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA
THIRD GRADE – John Elder Gallery, NY, NY
2000 NEW WORK – Bachelier-Cardonsky, Kent, CT
1999 WAX WORKS – David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN
1997 DRAWINGS – Mia Gallery, Seattle, WA
1996 NEW SCULPTURE – Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT
1995 DRAWINGS – Mia Gallery, Seattle WA
1994 SMALL SCULPTURE – Diana Burke Gallery, NY, NY
1993 FRIENDS – Mia Gallery, Seattle, WA
1990 CHAIRS – ArtRages, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1988 NEW WORK – Primitivo Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1986 HOMESITES – Arts Council of San Mateo County, Belmont, CA CHAIRS – Clodagh, Ross, Williams Gallery, NY, NY
2020 CLAYTOPIAN NEW YORK- Plaxall Art Center, LIC, NY DOMESTIC BRUTES- The Pelham Art Center. Pelham, NY
2019 THE IMPOLITE AESTHETIC- Joseloff Gallery, Univ. of Hartford. Hartford, CT.
BE MINE- LABspace, Hillsadle, NY
DOMESTIC MATTERS -Peter’s Valley Art Center, New Jersey
2018 POP GOES THE WEASEL – Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, NY, NY
THE BIG SMALL SHOW – Drawing Rooms. Jersey City, NJ
2017 WE THE PEOPLE – SERVING NOTICE – The American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
2016 TALK TALK – Central Booking Gallery, NY, NY
2016 COGNITIVE DISSONANCE – Spartanburg Museum of Art, Spartanburg, SC
2015 MONEY, WHEELS AND RANDOM LEGS – Firecat Projects, Chicago, IL
2014 PSYCHED – Central Booking Gallery, NY, NY COMPULSIVE NARRATIVES – Rutgers Univ., Camden, NJ
2013 GALLERY ARTISTS – Archangel Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2011 NAMING THE ANIMALS – Curious Matter, Jersey City, NJ
RETROFUTUREOLOGY – Observatory, Brooklyn, NY
2010 PARADISO CONTRAPASTO – Observatory, Brooklyn, NY
PILLOW CULTURE – Dumbo Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY 2009
THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT, Traveling Exhibition – Arthouse, Atlanta, GA
2008 CONFRONTATIONAL CERAMICS – curated by Judith Schwartz, Westchester Arts Council, Westchester, NY
2007 FORMS OF OPULENCE – Allen Gallery, NY, NY
HAVE A SEAT! – Beylerian Collection of Small Chairs – The Museum of Art and Design, NY, NY
RED – Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
THE INNER CHILD – The Hunterdon Museum of Art, Hunterdon, NJ
2006 FIGURATIONS – Sopa Gallery, Kelowna, Canada
MOTHERHOOD: THE MYTH, THE MAGIC, THE MADNESS – curated By Leslie Matthews, Design for Living Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2005 NEW TALENT 2005 – Co-curated by the Museum of Ceramic Art, New York (MOCA/NY), and Weispollack Gallery, NY, NY
3RD WORLD CERAMICS BIENNALE
2005 – Ceramics: The Vehicle of Culture – Invitational exhibition, Icheon, Korea (catalogue)
2004 PULP FICTION – bahdeebahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003 ENCAUSTIC
2003 – Juried Exhibition, Poughkeepsie, NY (catalogue)
2002 PUSHING CLAY – Univ. of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
2001 R&F ENCAUSTICS – Juried Biennial – Kingston, NY (catalogue)
1998 NEW TALENT – John Elder Gallery, NY, NY
1996 INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS – The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
1995 NEW YORK CLAY – Traveling Exhibition, Stavanger, Norway (catalogue)
1994 VIEWPOINTS – Bachelier Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT
NEW GENERATION – Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
1993 HEADS OR TAILS – Mia Gallery, Seattle, WA
1992 CHAIRS – Gallery of Functional Art, Santa Monica, CA
FIGURATIVE CERAMICS – Mia Gallery, Seattle, WA
1991 AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE – Gallery of Functional Art, LA, CA
1990 SIGNS OF SUPPORT – FURNITURE FORMS IN CONTEMPORARY ART – John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
1988 ARTIST’S FURNITURE INVITATIONAL – Wita Gardiner Gallery, San Diego, CA
THE AESTHETIC EDGE – Corvalis Art Center, Corvallis, OR
IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES – Primitivo Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1987 VIEWING THE FIGURE – University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
1986 INAUGURAL EXHIBITION – Clodagh, Ross, Williams Gallery, NY, NY
1984 INTROSPECTIVES – AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY WOMEN – Pyramid Art Center, Rochester, NY
1983 THE AMERICAN CLAY NATIONAL – Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS/REVIEWS -THE POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL—Art From Here. 20- Year Retrospective at The Lockwood Gallery. Kingston, NY
June 2021 -ARTSPIEL- Melissa Stern: Stronger Than Dirt. A 20-Year Retrospective.
June 2021 – NEWCITY ART-Visual Art of Chicago.
January 2021. – HEC TV – A visual portrait of the artist and The Talking Cure exhibition St. Louis,
January 2018. – NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MULTIMEDIA INSTALLATION “THE TALKING CURE”, St. Louis Post Dispatch.
January 2018 – “THE TALKING CURE” INVITES AUDIENCES TO BECOME PART OF THE ARTISTIC PROCESS – St. Louis Magazine,
Jan. 2018 – TALKING CURE, TALKING HEADS – Minnesota Daily
September 7, 2016 – MELISSA STERN’S “THE TALKING CURE’ – South Carolina Public Radio, by Jeanette Guinn
June 21, 2016 – REDUX’S CURRENT EXHIBITION “THE TALKING CURE” IS MULTIFACETED – Charleston City Paper by Connelly Hardeway
July 15, 2016 – THE TALKING CURE AT REDUX CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER – Arts Daily
May 2016 – THE TALKING CURE: 12 SCULPTURES, 12 WRITERS, 12 ACTORS – Charleston Art Magazine by Marjorie Rawle
May 2016 – MONEY, WHEELS AND RANDOM LEGS – The Chicago Tribune
Oct. 15, 2015 – SCULPTOR INVITES WRITERS TO TELL THE STORIES OF HER WORKS AT REAL ART WAYS – The Hartford Courant Review
March 5, 2015 – DON’T MISS: FIGURES OF SPEECH – The Wall Street Journal
May 30, 2014 – MELISSA STERN: OFF BALANCE ART – Feature article, Wesleyan University Alumni Magazine
Fall 2013 – ARTnews – Review of The Talking Cure Exhibition
January 2013 – NEW YORK ARTS: THE TALKING CURE – Interview with Leah Oates,
February 2013 – THE TALKING CURE – Catalogue of the Exhibition
2012 – ART FOR THE EYES AND EARS: MELISSA STERN’S “THE TALKING CURE” IN NEW YORK – Dujour.com
December 2012 – NEW YORK ARTS – Nostalgic Confessions: Drawings by Melissa Stern
February 2009 – AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION 26: The Best American Illustrations of 2007
November 2007 – Review of BIRDLAND – The Memphis Commercial Appeal
April 21, 2006 – BIRDLAND – Catalogue published in conjunction with the Exhibition, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN
2006 – CLAY IN ART INTERNATIONAL – Published by kerameiki techni, Athens, Greece
2006 – TRANS-CERAMIC-ART – Catalogue of The 3rd World Ceramic Biennale, Published by Icheon World Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea
2005 – 500 FIGURES IN CLAY – by Veronika Gunter, Lark Books, Ashville, NC
2004 – BACK TO SCHOOL – Catalogue essay by Paul Karlstrom, Published by The Children’s Museum of the Arts, New York, NY
Winter 2003 – CERAMIC FIGURES – by Michael Flynn, Rutgers University Press, New Jersey
2002 – FORM & TRANS-FORMATIONS – Catalogue by Judith Schwartz, Queens, NY
1997 – NEW YORK CLAY – Essay by Judith Schwartz, Exhibition catalogue, Rogaland Kunstnersenter, Norway
1996 – THE NEW YORK TIMES – Sunday Review, December 15
1996 – CHAIRMANIA – FANTASTIC MINIATURES by George Beylarian, Harry Abrams pub., New York, NY
1994 – DAN’S PAPER – Review, Bridgehampton, New York, May 20
1994 – EAST HAMPTON INDEPENDENT – Review, May 22
1994 – THE NEW YORK TIMES – Sunday Review, August 2
1992 – CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART CRAFT: A COLLECTOR’S GUIDE – Barbara Mayer, Peregrine Smith Books, Salt Lake City, UT
1988 – PRONTO – Cover photograph and article, Vol. 4-5, Tokyo, Japan
1988 – ARS AUREA – Magazine article, Berlin, Germany
Winter 1988 GRANTS/AWARDS – AWARDED ARTIST RESIDENCY – Benyamini Center For Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
2014 – AWARDED ARTIST RESIDENCY – The Washington School of Glass, Washington, DC
2011 – AWARDED ARTIST RESIDENCY – The Serenbe Institute, Serenbe, GA
2007 – SPONSORS AWARD: R& F Handmade Paint Juried Exhibition
2001 – KOHLER FOUNDATION GRANT: Artist-in-Residence – Kohler Company, Sheboygan, WI
1988 AND 1990 – Racine Art Museum Racine, WI
The Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
International Center for Collage, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
Library of Congress: Rare Books and Special Collections, Washington, DC
Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY
The Arario Gallery, Seoul, Korea Bear Stearns & Co. New York, NY
News Corp Inc, New York, NY
Davison Collection, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, A Stavenger Museum, Stavenger, Norway
The Metropolitan Home Magazine Design Collection, New York, NY
The Kohler Company Collection, Sheboygan, WI
Designtex, New York, NY