MELISSA SMITH
b. 1981, Illinois
STATEMENT
Melissa Smith is a visual artist based in the Chicago area. Melissa’s practice includes painting, drawing, and collage. She creates vibrant mixed media art that is firmly rooted in abstraction and guided by an intuitive process. Her work is anchored by a love of color, an emphasis on mark-making, and a penchant for visually-interesting surfaces. Melissa finds inspiration in the natural landscape. She creates art as a means of making sense of the world—to convey feelings and render thoughts which may otherwise be difficult to articulate. Using a personal artistic vocabulary, she translates her life’s scenes, interactions, and experiences into bold, colorful abstractions.
BIO
Melissa Smith was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing and Roosevelt University with a Master of Arts in Teaching. Melissa has exhibited her work throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Her art can be found in public and private collections across the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Dominican Republic. Prints of her work can be found at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts Gallery Shop in Michigan City, IN and her art stickers can be found at the Intuit Store at Intuit Art Center in Chicago, IL. She currently works out of her home studio in Berwyn, IL.
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2024 Window Shopping, Purple Window Gallery, Chicago, IL
2024 Small Works Members Show, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago IL
2023 Small Works Members Show, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 The Tiny Show, The Silver Fern Gallery, Cookeville, TN
2023 Artville Community Show, Artville, Nashville, TN
2023 Fearlessly & Wonderfully Created Fine Art Show, Nashville, TN
2023 After Love, Liminal Gallery at Make Nashville, Nashville, TN
2022 Works by Melissa Smith, Madtown Coffee, Nashville, TN*
2022 Small But Mighty Fundraiser Show, Coop Gallery, Nashville, TN
2020 Come As You Are, Side Street Studio Arts, Elgin, IL
2016 The Bright Side, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL*
2014 The Abstract Show III, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL
2014 BAC Adult Show, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL
2014 Upcycled Art Competition, IPaintMyMind Gallery, Chicago, IL
2013 The Abstract Show II, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL
2013 BAC Adult Show, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL
2013 Modular 22, Studio 22, Berwyn, IL
2012 Now & Then: An Invitational Alumni Exhibition, Laura Sprague Art Gallery, Joliet, IL
2012 The Abstract Show, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL
2012 Blank Page, Studio 22, Berwyn, IL
2011 Mixed Media Works, Gallery Cabaret, Chicago, IL*
2011-10 Rotating Works, Starbucks, Chicago, IL*
2010 Landscapes, Gallery Cabaret, Chicago, IL*
2008 Gallery Night and Day Group Exhibition, Milwaukee Athletic Club, Milwaukee, WI
2008 Gallery Night and Day Art Exhibition, Broadway Paper, Milwaukee, WI
2007 Wisconsin Scenes, Dunn Bros. Café & Gallery, Oak Creek, WI*
2007 Square Art Show, Sanctuary Gallery, Clifton, IL
2007 Forwards/Backwards, Naperville Art League, Naperville, IL
2006 Abstract Works, American Theater Company, Chicago, IL*
2006 Interpretations of the Riverwalk, AnamArt Gallery, Naperville, IL
2006 Recent Works, Synovate Gallery, Chicago, IL*
2005 One By One, Seven Stories Institute, Jersey City, NJ
2005 Glazed and Confused, School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
2005 The Itsy Bitsy Artsy Fartsy Show, Sanctuary Gallery, Clifton, IL
2005 Juried Group Exhibition, Alfred Rubin Center, Naperville, IL
2005 BFA Thesis Exhibition, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL
2003 Local Works, Gretchen Charlton Gallery, Kankakee, IL
2003 You Are The Target Market, Laura Sprague Art Gallery, Joliet, IL
2000 Emerging Artists Show, Lockport Street Gallery, Plainfield, IL
2000 Juried Group Exhibition, Suburban Prairie Art Conference, Plainfield, IL
*denotes solo exhibition
SELECT FAIRS & MARKETS
2023 Tiny Works Market, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL*
2023 Dovetail Holiday Market, Dovetail Brewery, Chicago, IL*
2023 Far Out Market, Far Out Festival, Nashville, TN*
2023 Art Round Tennessee First Fridays, Cookeville, TN*
2023 ArtFields Makers Market, ArtFields, Lake City, SC*
2023 Lower Town Arts & Music Fest, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY*
2023 100 Taylor Arts Market, Nashville, TN
2022 Holiday Coopla, Coop Gallery, Nashville, TN*
2022 Firefly Artisan Fair, Nashville, TN*
2022 Harvest Moon Market, Nashville, TN*
2022 First Sip Coffee & Art Festival, Nashville, TN
2022 Show & Sell Maker’s Bazaar, Nashville, TN
2022 100 Taylor Arts Market, Nashville, TN
2021 Holiday Market, Coop Gallery, Nashville, TN*
2021 100 Taylor Arts Market, Nashville, TN
2021 East Nashville Art Show, Nashville, TN
*denotes juried/curated/invitational entry