After more than a decade in New York City working as a professional documentary and portrait photographer for numerous newspapers and magazines, Melissa now lives in Denver, Colorado where she continues to pursue her artistic passions as a fine art photographer. Her current projects explore multiculturalism, identity, and cycles of life. Her work has been exhibited in many prestigious galleries across the United States.

Melissa has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Kansas with continuing education classes at the International Center of Photography and School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Artist Statement for the submitted project:
My ‘American Mosaic’ series explores heritage and multicultural identity in America.  As immigrants from every country across the globe or as indigenous natives, we Americans are bound mostly by our beliefs and ideals, rather than a shared ethnic or cultural history.  The ‘melting pot’ metaphor is being replaced by new metaphors like ‘mosaic’, which suggests an integration that preserves each culture’s unique qualities rather than promoting one homogenous culture.

Photographs in the series were taken at cultural festivals and celebrations in Colorado, where heritage and traditions are taught, celebrated, and remembered. I believe we can all benefit from the beauty and wisdom of myriad cultures and age-old traditions as we try to build a pluralistic society.

I started my project almost three years ago while researching my family heritage to better understand my American identity. However, I feel my series has taken on greater meaning in the current social and political climate. My goals for the project are to capture the beauty of diverse cultures and to inspire empathy and understanding towards people with different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. I am also trying to preserve the past by documenting traditional customs passed down through many generations that are in danger of being lost in the modern world.