Artist in Residence: Melissa Walter June 3 - July 9, 2017
Installation view of Melissa Walter’s “Gravitational Lensing”(2017), 8’x16’. Photo courtesy of artist and Michael Andrew Photography.
1805 Gallery is pleased to announce Melissa Walter as the fourth resident artist this season. Best known for her optically stimulating sculptures of twisting paper and drawings of detailed geometric patterns, Walter visually explores concepts concerning Astronomy and astrophysical theories. Walter has worked as a graphic designer and science illustrator for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and as a team member of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her experience has inspired her to visually articulate wonders of the Universe, such as black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, dark matter and more recently, dark energy.
Melissa Walter will be working in the gallery from Saturday, June 3 to Friday, July 9, 2017. While in residence at 1805 Gallery, Walter will construct an installation that addresses the concept of dark energy, a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all space and exerts a negative pressure that causes the universe to expand at an ever-increasing rate.
As Melissa Walter states, she aims to ”provide a new way of looking at concepts concerning our Universe and beyond. For some, what lies beyond our own world isn't on the radar. I'm hoping that my work brings those concepts, theories, and objects into view for those people and they realize that these things can be incredibly inspiring.”
Walter’s use of sound, dramatic optics and lighting within her sculptural installations embed a transcendent quality to the experience of her work while infusing cosmic energy into ordinary materials such as ink and paper. She translates and materializes the intangible knowledge of the Universe into an aesthetic physical reality for a personal experience. Her residency work will be formally exhibited at Art Above in Fall 2017, an open-air art exhibition that features collective works from resident artists.
Walter has recently completed an artist in residence program at Bread & Salt and participated in exhibitions at the San Diego Art Institute, Torrance Art Museum, Helmuth Projects and the San Diego International Airport for a temporary exhibition titled Intergalactic Dreaming in 2017. She received her BFA, cum laude from the University of Rhode Island in 1998.
Resident Artist Melissa Walter
About 1805 Gallery
1805 Gallery is an art studio and exhibition space in San Diego, California. The gallery operates an artist residency program featuring emerging artists that focus on process and development within their practice. 1805 Gallery aims to support the creative community by providing opportunities to participate in studio art programs and contemporary art discourse.
For more information regarding the residency or work of Melissa Walter please contact 1805 Gallery Director Lauren Siry at lsiry@1805gallery.com.
“After graduating from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I returned to San Diego to open 1805 Gallery in 2012. The space functions as an open art studio and exhibition space that showcases original work by emerging artists. I see art as a universal language that transcends cultural, racial, social, and economic barriers while enhancing awareness and connectivity. My goal is to create opportunities for artists to exhibit their work and for an audience to experience it in a meaningful way.” - Lauren Siry
1805 Gallery is located at 1805 Columbia Street in the Little Italy District of San Diego, California.