Melissa Kistler earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration in glass from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She was a recipient of a Creative Arts, Research, and Scholarship Grant from Temple University. Melissa has continued her education at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York and Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina as a scholarship student. She has worked on staff at Pilchuck Glass School and has recently been awarded a Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship ... view more »
Artist Medium: Visual Arts: Audio/Sound, Drawing Media, Fiber/Fabric, Glass, Photography, Video; Mirror
As the daughter of a Master Gunnery Sergeant of the Marine Corps, I draw from the overlapping spheres of childhood, the military, and home. I create work that explores contrasts between society’s construction of the soldier’s identity and the intimacy of the relationship between the soldier and family. Illuminated by the backlight of my experience, I make sculptures that draw upon archetypes of home and childhood and delve into the phenomena of collective identity and the fluidity of the self. Utilizing nostalgic references to childhood and memory, I make pieces that act as monuments to an individual’s experience which highlight the importance of viewing these often controversial topics in a more nuanced and humanizing light. Through my work I speak to the fluid and dynamic way our experiences create our identities.
2012 BFA Temple University, Tyler School of Art; Glass
Indianapolis Art Center member
2014 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship; 2012 Creative Arts, Research, & Scholarship Grant