Artists
Melissa Leaym-Fernandez
Career Level: Emerging
Medium: Painting, 3D Mixed Media
Open for Commissions: Yes
My multimedia work is based in the delicate entangled power of identity and color.
About
As a late bloomer in life I now hold five degrees—including a doctorate while continuing my work as an artist, researcher, author, and scholar. I refuse to have one label because I wear many hats and occasionally I toss a few of those hats into the air.
Artist Statement
I want my work to be approachable—I write with a down to earth tone, I make art that I hope all can appreciate, I teach with the goal of lifting all my students rhat want to grow. I love working alone such as my work on the series “Ode to MINGJUN KIM:” and I love leading groups like my work with The Ugly Doll Project (where children displaced in shelters for domestic violence escape). I want the work I do to lift a soul, transform a heart, and bring joy to art viewing g spaces.
Gallery
Upcoming Exhibitions:
As I’m teaching two brief courses at Wuxi University in China summer 2026 I have no upcoming exhibitions.
Past Exhibitions:
See my website CV for past exhibitions.
Awards & Residencies:
Again, I have many awards please take a moment to see my awards on my websit—the most recent is the Linda Stein 2025 Art Education Award and another is the 2018 Judy Chicago Award in Art Education.






