melissa west
curator | creative producer | arts management
Dedicated arts professional creating high-caliber and impactful cultural programs, artist services, and community engagement
Intrapreneurial leader with over ten years of experience in program design, project management, brand cultivation, and leading collaborative, results-driven teams
Passionate about projects that build worlds through creative placekeeping: shifting the Staten Island narrative
photo by Lance Reha
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Director & Senior Curator, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, 2017-Present
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Staten Island, NY
Responsible for developing and executing a vibrant artistic vision that includes exhibitions, performances, residencies, public art and related programs across the 83-acre historic campus:
Senior Leadership
Oversee the strategic and daily operations of the Arts Department, including personnel management, fiscal planning and oversight, and arts facilities supervision
An essential player within organizational and programmatic strategic planning, including developing the artistic vision, and matrix for program design and evaluation
Serve as chair of the Snug Harbor Arts Advisory Council, responsible for agendas, cultivating relationships, and developing initiatives with the goal of raising the organization’s profile and increasing income opportunities
Lead vision and strategy around arts-related facilities activation, including the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Music Hall, and Dance Center
Inaugural chair of the organization’s program team comprised of arts, farm, horticulture, education, external affairs, business development and operations staff with focus on collaboration, communication, planning, and outcomes evaluation
Project Management
Director and chief curator of the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the oldest and largest gallery on Staten Island, developing 4-6 exhibitions annually
Director and chief curator of live/work residency programming, supporting dozens of artists with creative and professional resources through the PASS: Performing Arts Salon Saturdays residency since 2017
Create dynamic, immersive programming in dance, music, and visual art including artist talks, workshops, and screenings for broad audiences
Partner with Director of Education on Youth Matters, connecting high school students with artists and curators to provide hands-on opportunities to explore careers in the arts industry, build community, and gain professional skills
Community Relations
Increased event and gallery attendance by 42% since 2017 by expanding programs and services for artists and communities, investing in volunteerism and outreach efforts
Oversee robust portfolio of local, citywide, and national partners to increase cultural equity through dynamic, site-specific programming
Facilitate Snug Harbor’s Smithsonian Affiliation, bringing the national Smithsonian Institution’s collection and programs to all Staten Islanders
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Staten Island, NY, 2015 - 2017
Strategized and facilitated programmatic and institutional marketing for Snug Harbor's 83-acre campus with emphasis on interdepartmental/cross-organizational collaboration and a strong visual brand identity:
Led marketing for the arts, horticulture, agriculture and education departments
Managed visual identity and marketing campaigns for annual Neptune Ball gala
Oversaw website development, including integration of campus calendar, homepage web-slides, and mobile features
Refined branding and graphic design for print and digital collateral
Developed content for social media, press relations, and communications on original programming as well as constituent, rental, and partnership events
Organizing Director & Curator
Second Saturday Staten Island Art Walk, Staten Island, NY, 2013 - 2015
Organized monthly art walk with a mission to facilitate cross-community partnerships between artists, galleries, audiences, and local businesses. Curated public programs to highlight cultural assets across the North Shore:
Rebuilt the vision and team in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
Oversaw communications, press relations, and marketing to reach a broad audience
Raised funds through crowdfunding, events, grant writing, and membership
Cultivated partnerships and initiatives with artists, galleries, and small businesses
Created succession plan to transition the project to new leadership at Hub 17 in 2015
TEACHING
Adjunct Faculty, Dance Department
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY, 2022 - Present
Developed syllabus for a new course, Dance History 2: A Cultural, Historical, and Social Approach, designed to introduce students to key frameworks in the study and analysis of dance cultures from across the world:
Create dynamic lessons that build on core concepts from the fields of anthropology, dance studies, art history, and the social sciences
Structure the classroom to be a collaborative space for exploration through experiential writing, breakout assignments, and discussions
Guide students toward final projects comprised of oral presentations and accompanying research papers
PUBLICATIONS
DADA IN THE HOUSE: 20 Years of Performance Art on Staten Island, producer, copy editor and contributor, 2023
Staten Island Mode: Identity, Memory, Fashion, producer, copy editor, and contributor, 2023
Kathy Westwater: PARK Ephemera, designer, editor and contributor, exhibition publication, 2022
Queer Van Kult: Revelation, editor and contributor, exhibition publication, 2022
Roots/Anchors, editor/design advisor and contributor, exhibition publication with introduction by Lucy Lippard, 2021
The Hyphen, chief editor, art blog
“Between Worlds: Melding Past and Present in Reda Abdelrahman’s I Am Everybody,” I Am Everybody, editor and contributor, exhibition publication, 2020
“Your Participation is Needed,” Heal the Man, exhibition catalog, 2019
Transmissions: writing on dance, writer and designer, collection of essays, self-published, 2019
“Columns & Caryatids: Immortal Shape-Shifters,” Columns & Caryatids, exhibition catalog, 2018
“Counterpoint,” Native Soil: Staten Island Homescapes, Sarah Yuster Retrospective, contributor, exhibition publication, edited by Marguerite Rivas, 2018
GRANTS, AWARDS, & FELLOWSHIPS
Mertz Gilmore Dance Research Grant, Staten Island Arts, 2023
Fellowship for Utopian Practice, Culture Push, Shaolin Art Party with Jahtiek Long, 2023
Emerging Leaders Program, New York Foundation for the Arts, 2019-20
Art Fund Grantee, Staten Island Arts (DCLA regrant), Transmissions, 2019
Community Art Partner Grant, Staten Island Arts (NYSCA regrant), Staten Island Dance Project, 2017
New York Community Trust Leadership Fellows Program, 2016-17
Performance Studies Award, NYU, 2014
RESIDENCIES
CUNY Dance Initiative Artist Residency at the College of Staten Island, 2016
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 2014
The Greenbelt Conservancy, 2014
The Curiosity Project at Staten Island Arts, 2013
SPEAKING AND SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS
Choreographer, Wagner College Dance Department, 2024
Advisory Committee, CITY OF WOM_N, Catherine Galasso Dance Projects, 2023
Guest instructor, class session for Choreography I, Wagner College Dance Department, 2023
Guest instructor, class session for Contemporary Dance Workshop, Wagner College Dance Department, 2023
Guest instructor, class session for Pedagogy II, Wagner College Dance Department, 2023
Guest lecture, wanderingaffect: connecting dance, place, and community, class session for Dance Appreciation, Wagner College Dance Department, 2023
Guest speaker, Arts & Entertainment Virtual Career Panel, Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) at United Activities Unlimited, Inc., 2022
Guest speaker, Curtis High School Dance Department, Career Week, 2021
Guest speaker, Hunter College Dance Department Alumni Event, 2020
Panel moderator and organizer, Art & Action Chat: Embodying Shaolin— a conversation on resistance and resilience, Human Impacts Institute/Creative Climate Awards, 2020
Guest co-curator, Human Impacts Institute/Creative Climate Awards, 2020
Panelist, Career Paths in the Arts, St. George Theatre, 2019 and 2020
Presenter, Wagner College's Port Richmond Partnership Summit, 2016
Panelist, Geographic Equity panel, Dance/NYC Symposium, 2015
RECENT PRESS
Snug Harbor Dance Festival, Hallie Chametzky, Brooklyn Rail, 2023
IMPRESSIONS: Kinesis Project dance theatre in “Capacity, or: The Work of Crackling” (Excerpt) at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Deirdre Towers, Dance Enthusiast, 2023
Catherine Galasso centers Staten Island, women from the borough in Snug Harbor dance work, Trina Mannino, ALL Arts, 2023
ArtSeen: Roots/Anchors, Lily Wei, Brooklyn Rail, 2021
Love, Art, and Politics Intertwined, Charlotte Kent, Hyperallergic, 2021
Staten Island artists recognized for work in diversity, justice as part of 2020 Creative Climate Awards, Victoria Priola, Staten Island Advance, 2020
Spiritual Praxis: Tattfoo Tan Interviewed by Louis Bury, BOMB Magazine, 2019
EDUCATION
2014. M.A. Performance Studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
Thesis: Reveries of the Girl Wanderer: Into the Embodied Landscapes of Staten Island
2009. B.A. Dance and English, Hunter College, The City University of New York