Cheryle M. Melander
Minneapolis, Minn.

I have often described myself as a “process artist” in that I make multiples and I use repetitive processes in my work that have an appearance of being obsessive. Most recently, I have come to view the multiple as a result of these repetitive processes and not merely an aesthetic choice; it is a poetic language.

I think of repetition as a metaphor for diversity and multiple dualities. It can represent an experience of routine: scheduled procedures will often bring us comfort in knowing what to do and how to proceed. But on the other hand established routines can also fill us with tensions and anxieties indicative of tedious boring duty. I also see the process of repetition, as a way of gaining control, order and balance, while at the same time it becomes a prison and a trap from which there is no escape because the maker is the keeper. It is often a painstaking performance despite the fact that nobody ever sees the performance itself carrying with it both a physical and psychological weight. Simultaneously it is a friend and an enemy requiring unending patience and commitment. Repetition is a battle and a fight of perseverance to see who will win the challenge: self against self, a struggle of the strength of wills.

B.A., Minnesota State University, Moorhead, 2001
M.F.A. in progress, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Selected Exhibitions: "Made at MCAD", Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2004, 2003; Juried Art Exhibition, Minnesota State University Moorhead, 2001, 2000, 1999

Selected Grants: MFA Merit Scholarship, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2003; Mary Alexander Brumby Competitive Art Scholarship, Minnesota State University Moorhead, 2000 & 2001

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