Melissa Kraft
Artist Bio
Melissa Kraft has exhibited her work throughout the United States and in Canada, Poland, Ukraine, and Greece. Her images evolve from dreams, nature, and ancient tales, combining abstract figures and colorful, sweeping landscapes, inspired by the experiences that fill us with wonder.
Her work is in the collections of the NYC Dept. of Education, The Legal Aid Society in NY, The EarlyWorks Children’s Museum in Alabama, Galeria Labirynt in Poland, and the Copelouzos Family Art Museum in Greece. She was selected to participate in an international residency sponsored by the Polish and Ukrainian governments, as well as a residency in Canada, where she worked with and learned from First Nation artists. She was the National Association of Women Artists Artist of the Month, and her work has won awards from Mills Pond Gallery in Smithtown, NY; Prisma Art Prize; Valley Arts Gallery, NJ; Columbia University Medical Center Fine Arts; Ciao Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY; and Artists Wanted, Brooklyn. She is one of 22 artists from all over the world selected to participate in a traveling exhibition dedicated to raising awareness of the relationships that contemporary artists are forming with forests and nature.
Melissa completed her MA in Art and Art Education at Columbia University/Teachers College, where she was awarded the Painting Studio Assistantship, and was the recipient of the President’s Award for Community and Diversity.