John Kenneth Melvin is an American born multi-disciplinary artist producing work in the public realm. Melvin has a strong commitment to a material investigation guided by conceptual practice. Centered in this investigation is his intent to distill a meaning of ecology relevant to culture.
Melvin came to the Siena Art Institute as a resident artist in the Spring of 2018 and was invited back as a Project Fellow for the Fall of 2019, with a proposed project to nurture community dialog on themes of nature and culture. Key parameters guiding the design of the project are public art, community involvement, iconic place making, ecologically sensitive practices, and cradle to cradle design methodology. Melvin's 2019 Project Fellowship is part of "Racconti dal Margine sponsored by the Regione Toscana GiovaniSì through #toscanaincontemporanea2019.
Fall 2019 Project Fellowship: The voices of Siena and its marginalized communities resonate in the wind thanks to the work of John K Melvin, who for many years has been engaged in artistic research on sustainability and social relationships within communities. This is the cornerstone around the new project of the Siena Art Institute revolves: in fact, Melvin's installation in Siena is entitled "Voci dal vento (Voices from the wind)" an installation currently on view through Feb 28 in the courtyard of the University of Siena's Santa Chiara Lab. To create the artwork, Melvin involved many Sienese groups, including residents in local senior centers, groups of disabled adults, and children from nearby high schools, who embellished the pieces of bamboo wind-chimes with additions of their personal stories and memories.
Bio: Melvin inspires cross-cultural exchange and his work takes him all over the world. He manifests his work in the form of commissions, residencies, and exhibitions nationally as well as internationally. With nearly 14 years of international exhibitions, Melvin’s work connects communities from all over the world and engages them in contemporary dialogue. Notable examples include Curbing Entropy, EvoCrawler, MountainTop, KYDA, Alpha Omega, Wonderland, and the Aven Project, and all are documented online.
Melvin earned his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, a Post-Baccalaureate from the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art in France, and received his MFA in 2009 from the San Francisco Art Institute.
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