I have always considered myself an object-maker; affected by an intrinsic restlessness, I find great satisfaction in the manipulation of different materials. Inspired by the way bodies exist in and move through space, my creations are derived from the human figure and my work conveys those precarious moments that occur between fragility and stability.
Rhythm and repetition are a large part of my process. I create rules to follow in each artistic pursuit. By setting a limitation within to work, I find that I can take each idea much further than I initially think possible.
Spheres, circles and lines are the part of the recurring vocabulary. By arranging elements in different formations, I create spaces that strike a balance between dynamism and quietude, the grounded and the weightless.
Artist's Bio
Melanie Serkes is a multidisciplinary sculptor working in bronze, clay, wood and stone. She also explores ideas using drawing and printing techniques. Classically trained at Boston University, from 2002 to 2006, she uses this knowledge of figurative sculpture and drawing to abstract ideas from life. She seeks to highlight and interpret the beautiful aspects of nature. Her work has been part of select exhibitions at the New Hope Arts Center, Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts and Fleisher Art Memorial. On loan until 2018, her cedar and stainless steel sculpture titled, Liaison, can be seen at the Stevens Point Sculpture Park in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She holds a career in a bronze fine art foundry, mastering skills such as welding, metal finishing and patina. Melanie lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
Education
2006 Boston University, Boston, MA BFA, Sculpture cum laude, Minor in Art History
2005 Semester Abroad, Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice, Italy
Continuing Education
2021
Bridgette Mayer's Art MBA Program 2014 Introduction to Wheel Throwing, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2008 – 2015 Drawing, Sculpture and Printmaking, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Patrick Kipper’s Workshop for Silicon Bronze Patina, Loveland, CO
Commissions
2020
Public Art Commission, Phases, large-scale sculpture (16’ x 10’ x 7’), powder-coated steel,
The Bower: A Native Garden and Sculpture Park, Shermans Dale, PA
Awards and Honors
2011 Fleisher’s First Annual Student Advisory Council Award, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Dean’s List with Special Distinction, Boston University, Boston, MA
2003 – 2005 Dean’s List, Boston University, Boston, MA
Bibliography
Kiner, Deb, “We Have to Create Something to Share,” Sunday Patriot-News, May 2, 2021, Front Page
Zimmerman, Phyllis, “Art, Nature, In Harmony,” The Burg News, May 2021, pp. 46-47
Walsh, Helen, “At The Bower, Philadelphia Sculptors take the Pennsylvania Landscape to Heart,” Broad Street Review, July 20, 2021
Gallery Affiliation
Beacon Art Shortwave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
Professional Affiliations
Artist Member, InLiquid Art + Design
Artist Member, Philadelphia Sculptors
Veduta Gallery, Cresco, PA
Beacon Art Shortwave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
Artist Member, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE
Professional Experience
2022- Present
Fabricator, Michele Ortiz's "Our Market Project", Philadelphia, PA
2021-Present
Patina for Silicon Bronze Workshop, Philadelphia Department of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2014 – present Patina Department Head/ Welder & Metal Finisher, Independent Casting, Philadelphia, PA
2010 – 2015 Plaster Casting Expert, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2013 – 2014 Figure Sculpture Instructor, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2007 – 2014 Patina Specialist/Metal Finisher, Laran Bronze Fine Art Foundry, Chester, PA
2007 Wax Worker, Laran Bronze Fine Art Foundry, Chester, PA
Believe in Tomorrow: Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Mainline Art Center, Haverford, PA
2021
InLiquid with the Burches present Sculpture in the Glen III, Gladwyne, PA
Ritual, Intersect Arts Center, St. Louis, MO
2020
Art Paths 2020, Glade Path, Buck Hill Falls, Cresco, PA
2019
InLiquid with the Burches present Sculpture in the Glen, Gladwyne, PA
Private School 101, Spring Arts District, Philadelphia, PA
2018
The Foundry Show, Fourth Corner Foundation, Windham, VT
Juror: Matthew Brader, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Scarves and Sculpture, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Circadian Rhythm, InLiquid @ The South Tower Gallery, Park Towne Place, Philadelphia, PA
CFEVA Custom Exhibition at myCIO Wealth Partners, FMC Tower, Philadelphia, PA
2016
Philadelphia 2076, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Conrad Benner, Miriam Singer, Ryan Beck
2015 Art Apartment Walk, InLiquid at Park Towne Place Apartments, Philadelphia, PA
Liaison, Stevens Point Sculpture Park, Stevens Point, WI On loan through April 2018
2014 Navigation Puzzle, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Juror: Bridgette Mayer, Director, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
116th Annual Faculty Exhibition, Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Annual Juried Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, New Hope Arts Center, New Hope, PA Jurors: Darla Jackson and Scot Kaylor, Philadelphia, PA
2013 Small Works Exhibition, Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
115th Annual Faculty Exhibition, Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Annual Juried Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, New Hope Arts Center, New Hope, PA Jurors: Leslie Kaufman and Elizabeth Mackie
Process Show: Mixed Media, Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2012 114th Annual Faculty Exhibition, Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2011 113th Annual Student Exhibition, Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Students of Two-Figure Sculpture, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2010 112th Annual Student Exhibition, Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Senior Thesis, BFA Candidates, Fay G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, Boston University, Boston, MA
College Art Association’s Regional BFA Juried Exhibition, 808 Gallery, Boston University, Boston, MA
2005 International Student Exhibition, Galleria di Sotoportego, Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice, Italy
