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curatorial

curation

Photo by Lance Reha

Melissa West is an artist and curator whose work is centered on the relationship between body and place. Since 2008, she has curated and created multi- and interdisciplinary art projects in parks, galleries, historic buildings, and other non-traditional spaces. She has provided financial support, resources, and opportunities to hundreds of artists, cultural organizations, and community partners. A lifelong Staten Islander, West has increased access to the arts for thousands of New Yorkers, creating innovative ways for audiences to engage through unique, site-based experiences. Before joining Snug Harbor in 2015, Melissa directed the grassroots art walk, Second Saturdays Staten Island, where she advocated for arts equity and connected venues and small businesses with artists across the island. She was an adjunct faculty member within the Wagner College dance department from 2022-2024, where she taught dance history and choreography. West was a New York Community Trust Leadership Fellow (2016) and participated in the New York Foundation for the Arts Emerging Leaders program (2019-20). A recent recipient of the Mertz Gilmore Dance Research Grant from Staten Island Arts (2023-2024), she was a 2023-24 Co-Fellow for Utopian Practice from Culture Push for her work on the newly launched Shaolin Art Party digital media hub, and is a recipient of SIEDC’s 20 Under 40 Leadership Award (2025). Melissa holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Dance from Hunter College.

Curatorial Statement

The artistic process is a dynamic and potent catalyst for ​civic engagement and social change. Connecting with the word curator’s etymological roots, to have “care of souls,” I strive to create intentional spaces and opportunities for gathering, dialogue, and exploration

My work centers artists​ and communities by [a] orchestrating the conditions and resources ​for artists to take creative risks and develop their work​, and [b] establishing the context and support needed ​f​or audiences and communities to actively experience artistic work. I am driven by the mechanics of the creative process: how it can be supported and nurtured, the ethics of curating and engaging with audiences, and establishing a generative exchange between the artist, curator, institution, and audience.

A central aspect of my approach is collaboration with artists, curators, producers, and cultural organizations to produce exhibitions, performances, residencies, and programs that explore a breadth of contemporary art​ and performance topics, including environmental and land art, cultural studies, dance and the moving body, architectural history, and concepts of place. My curatorial ​practice is grounded in visual storytelling through embodiment, oral history, archival research, and cultural preservation. 



To learn more, please visit:

Snug Harbor PASS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Newhouse Center FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
FOLLOW US ON IG @THENEWHOUSECENTER

Images by Lance Reha, Christine Cruz, Meredith Sladek, Tattfoo Tan, Lisa Dahl; courtesy of Snug Harbor