Melissa Thorne
melissathorne.com
Education
1998 MFA California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
1993 BFA Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
1992 Yale University Summer School of Art, Norfolk, CT
1991 Temple University/Tyler School of Art, Rome campus, Rome, Italy
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Landslide/Solid, Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
2017 Shadde, BUSHEL, Delhi, NY
2017 Desert Center, Epicenter Projects, Indio, CA, on-site and online exhibition @ epicenterprojects.org
2015 By the Light or the Eye, GRIDSPACE, Brooklyn, NY
2013 A Wall Around a Window, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX
2010 ROCKSLIDE ROCKSOLID, 2 concurrent solo exhibitions at 2 locations:
Devin Borden/Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX (paintings)
Optical Project, Houston, TX (sound installation)
2008 A Partial Index of Improvements, Devin Borden/Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
2004 Aerials and Elevations, Devin Borden/Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
2003 superstructure, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2002 Melissa Thorne: New Paintings, Devin Borden/Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
2001 radiant city, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2000 Drawings: plans for small units, Devin Borden/Hiram Butler Gallery , Houston, TX
1999 A miracle of spatial unity..., Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1998 Melissa Thorne: paintings, LAX Exhibitions, Houston, TX
Selected Group Exhibitions
2021 Many Portals, Half Hidden, Delhi, NY
2020 Patterns of Inquiry, Page Gallery, Camden, ME
2019 Aftereffect, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver
Zodiac Ballet, Harris Gallery, University of Laverne, Laverne, CA
Everyday Perfection, Albany International Airport, Art and Culture Program (catalog)
2018 Three Squared, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, NY
True North, LabSpace, Hillsdale, NY
2016 Drawing, Galerie Anke Schmidt, Cologne, Germany
2015 Fifth Winter, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX
Howdy Doody, Collarworks, Troy, NY
Exquisite, LABspace, Hillsdale, NY
Mixed Doubles, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX
2014 Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Machine Project Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Texas Contemporary Art Fair, with Devin Borden Gallery, Houston TX
2013 An Armory Show, Opalka Gallery, The Sage Colleges, Albany, NY (catalog)
CAMPUS: New Acquisitions, Harris Art Gallery, University of LaVerne, LaVerne, CA (catalog)
2012 Material Occupation, University Art Museum, University at Albany (SUNY), Albany, NY (catalog)
SUNY Faculty Exhibition, University at Albany, NY
2011 Synthetic Supports: Plastic is the New Paper, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Works on Paper, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX
Site as Symbol, curated by Survey West Collaborative, FOCA, Los Angeles, CA
2008 A Machine Field Guide to LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (catalog)
Art Brussels, with Galerie Schmidt Maczollek, Brussels, Belgium
2007 Fata Morgana, Galerie Schmidt MacZollek, Koln, Germany (booklet/catalog)
2006 Fair Exchange, Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA, curated by Irene Satsos (catalog)
2005 Scripps Faculty Exhibition, Ruther Chandler Williamson Gallery, Claremont, CA
Color, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
Especial, Galerie Schmidt Maczollek, Koln, Germany
2004 knitknit, sundown salon, Los Angeles, CA
Microclimate, Harris Art Gallery, The University of La Verne, La Verne, CA
2003 Perpetuum Mobile, Galerie Rolf Ricke, Koln, Germany
Blue, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
The Armory Show, with Susanne Vielmetter, New York, NY
2002 Blend, Harris Art Gallery, The University of La Verne, La Verne, CA
Systems, Order, Nature, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
Labyrinths, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
2001 Are Friends Electric?, Angstrom Gallery, Dallas, Texas, curated by Steven Hull
SongPoems, Leslie, Cohan and Browne, New York, NY, curated by Steven Hull (catalog)
fabric, pattern, needle, thread, Bakersfield College, Bakersfield, CA
Bibli-lo-tech, Kerry Inman Gallery, Houston, Texas, curated by Brooke Stroud
Women Rule, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
2000 Core, Glassell Building, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX (catalog)
Shimmer, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery at Barnsdall, Los Angeles, CA, curated by Thomas Lawson
1999 L.A. Morgenrot, Galerie Rolf Ricke, Koln, Germany
1998 Blinded by the Light, The Bradbury Building, Los Angeles, CA
Grants, Fellowships, & Academic Awards
2021 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
2021 Faculty Research Awards Program Grant, University at Albany, SUNY
2020 Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Leave Fellowship, SUNY
2018 Barbara Deming Memorial Foundation Grant
2017 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant (for Shadde exhibition)
2015 New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship in Painting
2012-2015 Faculty Research Awards Program Grants, University at Albany, SUNY
2008-2010 University of California Academic Senate Research Grants
2008 University of California Regents Faculty Fellowship
2007 Joan Mitchell Foundation Scholarship (in association with the Santa Fe Art Institute)
2002 Durfee Artist’s Resource for Completion Grant (ARC, now administered through the Center for Cultural Innovation)
1997 Durfee Summer Fellowship, for work with non-profit organizations
Artist Residencies
2016 Epicenter Projects Residency
2007 Santa Fe Art Institute Residency
2004 Ucross Foundation Artist's Residency
1999-2000 Core Program Residency/Glassell Fellowship, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
1995 Artist’s Residency, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NB
Lectures and Visits
2021 Visiting Artist Mentor, Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program
2020 Visiting Artist Lecture and graduate studio visits, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
2019 Visiting Artist Lecture and color workshop, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver, CO
Visiting Critic, Painting Program, St. Rose College
2017 Visiting Artist Lecture, Sage College, Albany, NY
2016 Visiting Artist Lecture and round-table discussion, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
2015 Visiting Artist studio tour, Sage College, Albany, NY
Visiting Artist Lecture and graduate studio visits, Boston University, Boston, MA
Visiting Critic, Architecture Program, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
2014 Visiting Artist Lecture, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
Lecture and Public Workshop, Museu de Arte do Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: in conjunction with
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2013 Visiting Artist Lecture and graduate studio visits, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Public Artist Lecture, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX
2010 Visiting Critic, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
2007 Visiting Artist Lecture, Reed College, Portland, OR
2003 Visiting Critic, Art Center College of Art and Design, Pasadena, CA
Selected Press
Rogowicz, Matthew, "Melissa Thorne: Cultural Identity through Pattern," AHA!, A House for Arts, WMHT, PBS affiliate, aired November 4, 2020; online @ https://www.pbs.org/video/cultural-identity-through-pattern-artist-melissa-thorne-qld6/
Liberatore, Wendy, “Tang exhibition offers unique listening experience,” Albany Times Union, Saratoga Blog (online edition), December 13, 2019.
Ross, Deborah, “Review: Aftereffect,” The Magazine, April 26, 2019 (online and print edition)
Moutinho, Amanda, “Conversing with Georgia: Aftereffect explores the legacy of a classic artist through the work of modern painters,” Boulder Weekly, April 25, 2019 (online and print edition)
Jaeger, William, “Everyday Perfection on Display at Airport Gallery,” Albany Times Union, April 17, 2019 (online and print edition)
Rinaldi, Ray Mark, “Tracking Georgia O’Keeffe’s influence on artists today at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art,” The Denver Post, March 24, 2019
Talty, Terry, “After Effect: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Painting,” UnsafeArt.com, March 13, 2019
Wolf, Stephanie, “At MCA Denver, Contemporary Artists Reflect on O’Keeffe’s Enduring Influence,” Colorado Public Radio, cpr.org, February 21, 2019, live audio
Anderson, Cori, “Tattoos, Georgia O’Keeffe and carved paintings take over the MCA with new exhibits,” 303Magazine, February 18, 2019
Williams, Joel, “LabSpace seeks to connect regional artists,” Berkshire Record, May 11, 2018
Weekend Arts selection, “Exhibit to close in Delhi,” The Oneonta Star, August 26, 2017
Arts + Entertainment selection, “New Installment at Bushel: Shadde,” The Delhi Reporter, July 26, 2017
Fischer, Joshua, “Pattern as Space: Monica Vidal and Melissa Thorne,” glasstire.com, December 27, 2013
Montana, Kelly, “Melissa Thorne: A Wall Around a Window,” Arts and Culture Magazine, December 4, 2013 (online and print edition)
Klassmeyer, Kelly, “Melissa Thorne Takes on Blocks and Rocks in ‘A Wall Around a Window’,” Houston Press, November 27, 2013 (online and print edition)
Grabner, Michelle, “The Political Ecology of Matter and Thingly Things,” Material Occupation, exhibition catalog essay, 2012
Schaming, Corinna, “Material Occupation,” Material Occupation, exhibition catalog essay, 2012
Haeg, Fritz, “Conversation with Melissa Thorne, Mark Allen and Adam Goldman,” Sundown Salon Unfolding Archive, limited edition book/catalog, 2009
Glynn, Liz, “Interview with Samuel Bing and Melissa Thorne,” Machine Project: a Field Guide (catalog), 2009
Editorial Review, “Fata Morgana bei Schmidt MacZollek,” Stadt Revue Kolnmagazin, December 2007
Ehrenreich, Ben, “Fata Morgana,” Fata Morgana, exhibition catalog essay, 2007
Satsos, Irene, “The Shock of the Familiar,” Fair Exchange, exhibition catalog essay, 2006
Davenport, Bill, "Melissa Thorne at Devin Borden Hiram Butler," glasstire.com, July 2002
Klaasmeyer, Kelly, "Paper Route," Houston Press, June 20, 2002
Stalford, Maria, "Labyrinths - Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery", glasstire.com, February 2002
McCabe, Bret, "California Dreaming," Dallas Observer, September 6, 2001
Blackwell, Josh, “Melissa Thorne at Susanne Vielmetter,” Art Issues, summer 2001
Danicke, Sandra, “Neue Dreistigkeit,” Frankfurter Runschau, Feuilleton, April 30, 2001
Klaasmeyer,Kelly, “Office Max,” Houston Press, March 29, 2001
Colpitt, Frances, “Space City Takes Off,” Art in America, October 2000
Kalil, Susie, “Core 2000,” exhibition catalog essay and interview, 2000
Lawson, Thomas, “Shimmer: notes on some recent abstract painting in Los Angeles,” exhibition brochure essay, Barnsdall Municipal Gallery, 2000
Pagel, David, “Themes out of School,” CAArt, catalog essay, Los Angeles, CA, 2000
Koerver, Jens Peter, “Die Grosstadt ist auch nur ein Allerweltsort,” Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger, December 16, 1999
Current Academic Employment
Area Head of Painting and Drawing; Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY