The School for Advanced Research was pleased to welcome Melisa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute), as the 2015 the Ronald and Susan Dubin Fellow. Melero-Moose’s artwork consists of contemporary mixed-media abstract paintings inspired by the landscape and culture of the Numa (Northern Paiute) in Nevada. Incorporated into her paintings, organic objects, sand, rice papers, acrylic washes and mediums are layered intuitively to create an image in which the traditional Paiute life is told.

According to Melero-Moose: “Willows, tules, cattails, and pine nuts are all very important staples to the Paiute people, being sources of food, shelter, and implements made with artistic intention. I integrate these images and cultural organic materials into my artwork as my interpretation of landscapes and how I view the beauty of my culture as well as nature itself. I consider these works to be a perspective of my tribe and culture through the eyes of a Native woman, mother and artist.”

One of Melero-Moose’s goals is to engage and inspire as many people as possible with the art of the Great Basin. She expects to create an ongoing dialogue with her community and others about Native art and its importance in our society. As a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe, Melero-Moose founded the art collective Great Basin Native Artists (GBNA) as a way to promote the often overlooked and forgotten Great Basin area, culture, and arts.