Melissa Melero-Moose

The School for Advanced Research is pleased to welcome Melisa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute), as the 2015 the Ronald and Susan Dubin Fellow. Melero-Moose’s artwork consists of contemporary mixed-media abstract paintings inspired by the landscape and culture of the Numa (Northern Paiute) in Nevada. Incorporated into her paintings, organic objects, sand, rice papers, acrylic washes and mediums are layered intuitively to create an image in which the traditional Paiute life is told.

According to Melero-Moose:

Willows, tules, cattails, and pine nuts are all very important staples to the Paiute people, being sources of food, shelter, and implements made with artistic intention. I integrate these images and cultural organic materials into my artwork as my interpretation of landscapes and how I view the beauty of my culture as well as nature itself. I consider these works to be a perspective of my tribe and culture through the eyes of a Native woman, mother and artist.

While at SAR, Melero-Moose envisions a project of ten large mixed-media paintings, inspired by traditional and contemporary basketry designs of the Great Basin areas. Some of her time at IRAC will also be devoted to examining baskets the Native art collection. She plans to incorporate organic objects in her work as a way of interpreting the use and importance of these materials to the Paiute and Great Basin peoples.

As well as creating this body of work, Melero-Moose’s goal is to engage and inspire as many people as possible with the art of the Great Basin. She expects to create an ongoing dialogue with her community and others about Native art and its importance in our society. Melero-Moose suggests that the community will benefit from the planned exhibition of this project in that they will have an opportunity to view contemporary Native American art that is not usually widely seen in the area. As a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe, Melero-Moose recently founded the art collective Great Basin Native Artists (GBNA) as a way to promote the often overlooked and forgotten Great Basin area, culture, and arts. In addition to advancing her personal work, this fellowship will greatly contribute to the goals of the GBNA.

Melero-Moose will be in residence at SAR from June 16 to August 14, 2015.

2015 Dubin fellow Melissa Melero-Moose speaks about her work.
Videography by John Sadd.