EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2017 MFA, Visual Studies. Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
2001 BA, Political Science. Yale University, New Haven, CT.
LECTURES & PANELS
2022 Exploring and Creating Narrative in Comics/Graduate Symposium, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
2021 Art, Community & Collaboration, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD.
2020 Race, Narrative, and How To Draw Comics At the End of the World, Remote, Portland, OR.
2019 Drawing Your Story In One Sheet or Less, PSU Summer Drawing & Painting Institute, Portland, OR.
Women In Comics, Rose City Comic Con, Portland, OR.
WaterShed: Sequential Art & Afro-Futurism, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
2018 Art Practices, BFA Vertical Lab, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
Zines and Comics Workshop, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR
RACC Series: Art + Power, Taborspace, Portland, OR
Curatorial Panel, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
Annual MLK Week : Beloved Community, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR.
2017 Self-Made: Adventures in Independent Publishing, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
Anti-Racist Teach-In: Media Literacy Workshop, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
Siren Nation: Activism In Art, McMenamins Kennedy School, Portland, OR.
Nat Turner Project: Unveiling the Untold, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR.
Nat Turner Project: from the bathroom to the walls, Reed College, Portland, OR.
Graphic Interference: The Comics Art of Melanie Stevens, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
Voices From the Front Lines: The State of Community Driven Media in Portland, Taborspace, Portland, OR.
Visiting Curators: Nat Turner Project at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
BLACK (Working Title), Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR.
PDX Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon, Portland Institute For Contemporary Art, Portland, OR.
A Deeper Black: A Discussion on Ta-Nehisi Coates, University of Oregon: White Stag, Portland, OR.
2016 Adrian Piper's Cornered: A Conversation. PNCA, Portland, OR.
Residencies & Awards
2024 Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center Grant and Residency, Portland, OR.
PNCA Creative Advancement Award, Portland, OR.
2023 PLAYA Residency, Summer Lake, OR.
Sitka Center Residency, Otis, OR.
Regional Arts and Culture Council AC3 Grant (black whole Press), Portland, OR
2022 PLAYA Residency, Summer Lake, OR.
Precipice Grant (Nat Turner Project), Portland, OR.
Trailer Blaze Residency, Seaview, WA.
Regional Arts and Culture Council Make|Learn|Build Grant (WaterShed Graphic Novel), Portland, OR
2020 Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant (Nat Turner Project), Portland, OR.
Precipice Grant, Portland, OR.
IPRC BI/POC Artist & Writer Residency, Portland, OR.
a Black Art Ecology of Portland (BAEP) Residency, Portland, OR.
2019 Precipice Grant (Nat Turner Project), Portland, OR.
Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant (WaterShed Graphic Novel), Portland, OR.
Awesome Foundation Grant (Nat Turner Project), Portland, OR.
2018 Stumptown Artist Fellowship, Portland, OR.
the first and the last Artist Residency, Portland, OR
Leland Iron Works, Oregon City, OR.
Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant (Nat Turner Project), Portland, OR.
Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant (Miss Anthology), Portland, OR.
Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant (WaterShed Graphic Novel), Portland, OR.
2017 Caldera AiR CARE Artist Retreat, Sisters, OR.
Centrum Emerging Artist, Port Townsend, WA.
c3:Initiative Spring Residency-Miss Anthology, Portland, OR.
c3:Initiative Summer Residency-Nat Turner Project, Portland, OR.
2016 Precipice Grant (Miss Anthology), Portland, OR.
Caldera MFA Artist Residency, Sisters, OR.
2015 PNCA Global Studios Program, Mexico City, MX and Oaxaca, MX.
EXHIBITIONS/SOLO
2023 As Old As Time, Willamette University, Salem, OR.
2022 THIS TIME…, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR.
2019 On Our Watch, Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR.
Graphic Intervention, King School Museum of Contemporary Art, Portland, OR.
2018 WaterShed, Chingada Gallery, Portland, OR.
On View, Russo Lee Gallery, Portland, OR.
in medias res(t), Stumptown Roasters, Portland, OR.
2016 Present Tense, Holt Gallery, Portland, OR.
Oral (Ex)Traditions, Compliance Division, Portland, OR.
Black Table, PNCA Atrium, Portland, OR.
2010 Inside Out, DeFoor Centre Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
2008 My View of You, DeFoor Centre Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
Color Shock, Urban Grind Café, Atlanta, GA.
Marietta Art Stroll, Marietta Trolley Company, Marietta, GA.
CURATORIAL
2016-2023 Nat Turner Project, Co-Curator and Director, Portland, OR
EXHIBITIONS/GROUP
2024 Sitka Art Invitational, Oregon Contemporary, Portland, OR.
2023 Walk the Block, Wa Na Wari, Seattle, WA.
Black Artists of Oregon, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR.
Bumbershoot, Fisher Pavillion, Seattle, WA.
2021 ASYLUM TOO, Well Well Projects, Portland OR.
Nobody’s Fool, Carnation Contemporary, Portland OR.
Prototypes, Converge 45, Portland OR.
Whiplash, Flight 64 Studio, Portland OR.
Harriet Tubman Timeline, Harriet Tubman Middle School, Portland, OR.
Exquisite Feet, Upfor Gallery, Portland OR.
2020 Across Today’s Tomorrow, Carnation Contemporary, Portland, OR
2019 Art Exhibit, Wa Na Wari, Seattle, WA.
Black Life Experiential Research Group (BLERG), Paragon Gallery, Portland, OR.
The New Northwest Immaterial, Soil, Seattle, WA.
Not Welcome, Center for Contemporary Art + Culture, Portland, OR.
HERE || HUMBOLDT, Paragon Gallery, Portland, OR.
A Part, PLACE PDX, Portland, OR.
2018 Elements of Reclamation, Ori Gallery, Portland, OR.
2017 Projects for the Page, Center for Contemporary Art & Culture, Portland, OR.
This Is A Black Spatial Imaginary, Paragon Gallery, Portland, OR.
Outside of the Lines, Littman and White Gallery, Portland, OR.
Sites of Resistance, Soft Space PDX, Portland, OR.
Four, Gallery 114, Portland, OR.
Dirty Laundry, s1, Portland, OR.
2016 BLVCK MATTER, Indivisible Gallery, Portland, OR.
Dys U, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.
Portrait of the Artist, Holt Gallery, Portland, OR.
TgBA 2016!, Bronco Gallery, Portland, OR.
Seeing Ourselves, Lodge Gallery, Portland, OR.
Dialogue Discourse Reading Center, Holt Gallery, Portland, OR.
Momentum, PNCA Innovation Studios, Portland, OR.
Chromophobia, Stall Gallery, Portland, OR.
2015 Ninety-Three Percent Invisible, Lodge Gallery, Portland, OR.
2014 OnyxCon Comics Convention, Southwest Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
2013 Postcard Pin-Up Show, MINT Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
2010 Hands On Atlanta 20th Anniversary Celebration, DeFoor Centre, Atlanta, GA.
Starving Artist Project, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY.
The Color Project, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY.
Self-Portrait Project, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY.
Femme Fatale, WonderRoot Community Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
The Sketchbook Project, Art House Co-op, Atlanta, GA.
2009 Sunday Brunch Live Painting, DeFoor Centre Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
Finding Purpose In the Arts: Benefit Concert, Paschal's Restaurant, Live Painting, Atlanta, GA.
I Love Atlanta, WonderRoot Community Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
The Sketchbook Project, Art House Co-op, Atlanta, GA.
2008 Postcard Pinup Show, MINT Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
Off the Wall - 200 x 200, DeFoor Centre Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
The Sketchbook Project, Art House Co-op, Atlanta, GA.
College Hill: Atlanta, BET Cable Network, Atlanta, GA.
Through Our Eyes, Gallery One Eleven, Atlanta, GA.
Diverse Roots, Atlanta-Fulton Central Library Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
PUBLICATIONS AND WRITINGS
2025 WaterShed Vol. III: Legal Tender, A Black Art Ecology of Portland
2023 BLACK LOAVES (foreword), A Black Art Ecology of Portland
2022 Trickle Down, Part 1, The Ford Family Foundation
2021 WaterShed Vol. II: In the Black, A Black Art Ecology of Portland
2020 Miss Anthology 2019, Self-published
black abbey (zine), A Black Art Ecology of Portland
2019 Moving Through Monuments: Sun Ra at Portland Art Museum, Art Practical. 2/6/19.
2018 WaterShed Vol. I: PostModern, Wright Graphics
Miss Anthology 2018, Wright Graphics
offal, Nat Turner Project Critical Zine, Self-Published
Nat Turner Project: testimony, an examination of curation in IV movements, Letra Chueca Press
Nat Turner Project: book of sedition zine, monthly, Self-Published
2017 Miss Anthology 2017, Ka-Blam Publishing
2008 Dirty 7up Zine, Self-Published
2015 Anthology, Artists Against Police Brutality, Rosarium Publishing
2013 Black Picket Fences, Graphic Novel, Ka-Blam Printing, Amazon Digital Printing
2011 Anthology, FORM: Artistic Independence, WE Design
Press
2021 Vo Vo. “ASYLUM TOO Is a Quiet Reckoning.” Art & About PDX. 12/14/21.
Lukova, Luiza. “Review: “Nobody’s Fool” at Carnation Contemporary.” Oregon Arts Watch. 11/4/21.
2020 Small, Zachary. “Black Artists Find Ways to Make Their Voices Heard in Portland.” New York Times. 8/23/20.
Ham, Robert. “RACC and Nat Turner Project Offer a Lifeline to Regional Artists.” Portland Mercyry. 5/22/20.
2019 Clemans, Gayle. “Stop in for coffee and a story: A Central District home becomes a gathering place for black art and history.” The Seattle Times. 6/26/19.
“Melanie Stevens: If You’re Watching This, It’s Too Late.” The Stranger.
“‘On Our Watch’ exhibit visits Alexander Gallery.” Clackamas Print. 4/17/19.
Weedon, Chrys. “The Nat Turner Project brings three mini-exhibits to the Cannon Gallery.” The Western Howl. 2/27/19.
2018 Stull Meyers, Ashley. “Looking Back: BOMB Contributors on Art in 2018.” BOMB. 12/20/18.
Miller, Brianna. "7 art exhibitions to view in Portland this fall." The Oregonian. 9/07/18.
Prewitt, Andi. "Miss Anthology Is Helping to Inspire a New Wave of Femme, Genderqueer and LGBTQIA+ Comic Book Artists" Willamette Week. 9/04/18.
Redmond, Eden. "Melanie Stevens: in medias res(t) at Stumptown" 60 inch center. 5/10/18.
Lukova, Lusi. "It’s Elemental: Reclaiming and Redefining Space" Art Practical. 2/27/18.
2017 Gormley, Shannon. "Artists Speak for themselves in (self), A Group Art Show In This Year’s Time-Based Art Festival." Willamette Week. 9/12/17.
Prado, Emily. "Miss Anthology is using comics to create change." Street Roots. 9/08/17.
Gormley, Shannon. "The Nat Turner Project Creates Literal Space for Artists of Color in “The June Show." Willamette Week. 6/21/17.
XRay In The Media. “Interview: Melanie Stevens and maxx martinez for Nat Turner Project”. X-Ray FM
savage pdx. "young texas interviews Miss Anthology". Freeform Portland Radio
Krafcik, Hannah. “Miss Anthology Teaches the Power of Comics”. Oregon Arts Watch. 4/05/2017.
KBOO Radio, Andre Middleton interviews Melanie Stevens; discuss art as messenger, 3/21/2017.
"Why is it so difficult to refuse?: sidony o’neal and manuel arturo abreu at PNCA." aqnb. 3/20/17.
Rabin, Jennifer. "."The Five Art Shows We're Most Excited to See This Month 1/31/17.
2016 Radon, Lisa. "Nat Turner Project". 11/09/16
Giddens, Thom. “Melanie Stevens Interview: Artists Against Police Brutality”. 7/21/16.
The Blerd Gurl, “Review: APB Graphic Anthology Uses Art as a Voice for Protest and Healing”. 2/15/16.
2015 Georgia Public Radio, Artists Against Police Brutality, 12/16/2015