2 minute read
The Final Word
Final The Word
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To see Melissa's art or find a current exhibit, visit melissamelero.com
Melissa Melero-Moose
NM&VG: Can you tell us who you are and what you do?
MM:My name is Melissa Melero-Moose, and I am a Northern Paiute (Fallon PaiuteShoshone Tribe) living in Reno. I am a visual artist and founder/curator of the Great Basin Native Artists.
NM&VG: You're a writer and an artist, but which came first?
MM:I was working in Portland, Oregon with Indigenous at-risk youth while also going to school and pursuing an art career. After my son was born in 2002, I focused on my art and used my nonprofit experience to come back to my community in Nevada.
I consider myself an artist first and found writing about my work and other Indigenous artists as a necessity. There is not much documentation out there so I wanted to tell our stories as American artists.
"REARRANGING"
NEVADA MAGAZINE & VISITOR GUIDE
NM&VG: What’s your favorite place in Nevada?
MM:That’s a hard question. I love so many places in Nevada. One of the places I love to spend time is the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge in Fallon. This place is so beautiful and important, and is a part of the Pacific Flyway where so many birds stop during their migrations.
NM&VG: What materials do you enjoy working with?
MM:I use willow and pine nuts and other gathered materials on my mixed media paintings. The gathering, I have always done since childhood. You know how when you are young and you collect a rock or a leaf? I continued doing this into adulthood.
NM&VG: Can you share some of your other endeavors?
MM:Some exciting things have come about this past couple of years. For one, the Great Basin Native Artists Gallery was established inside the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum in Carson City. We are really excited to have a permanent space for artists and to curate our exhibits.
Since 2018, I have been working on the Great Basin Native Artists Archive and Directory, which gives researchers and museum curators access to so many regional Indigenous artists that were not being properly documented.
NM&VG: Anything else you want to get out to readers?
MM:People often ask how they can support me and the Great Basin Native Artists, and the short answer is to buy regional Indigenous art. Also, please come and visit the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center to support this unique place in our Nevada history and future.
WE LOVE THE WAY NEVADA DARES TO BE DIFFERENT, WITH ALL THE HISTORY IN GHOST TOWNS, MINING TOWNS, NATURAL ROCK FORMATIONS, HOT SPRINGS, PETROGLYPHS, STARS, AND MILES OF OPEN LAND AND SKY.
—MAUREEN MCMULLIN, RENO, NEVADA
