Melissa Spitz (b.1988) is a working artist from St. Louis, Missouri, who currently resides in New York City. She received her BFA from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Melissa is the recipient of Magnum's Inge Morath Award (2018), recognizing a female photographer under the age of 30. She was named Instagram Photographer of 2017 by TIME Magazine.
Melissa closed her first solo museum exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art in the Spring of 2018. Her photographs continue to circulate internationally. Melissa tells stories with brutal honesty and a refreshing candor. Her TedX talk titled “Why I ‘shot’ my mother” examines perseverance, art making, and catharsis.
Melissa’s images ultimately reflect her curiosity of the medium and its effect on her subjects and surroundings.
Forbes Magazine described her project (You have nothing to worry about.) as ‘Shocking’. “I say shocking in a good way. Seeing the work felt like standing up in a crowd to make a speech, expecting to be shouted down, only to have a stranger defend you passionately. It was shocking because of its goodness.”
Melissa is available for speaking engagements. Select works available for purchase, please inquire via the adjacent form.
CV available for download.