Melanie Bilenker

Melanie Bilenker
Born	1978 (age 46–47) New York City, US [1]
Alma mater	University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Website	melaniebilenker.com

Melanie Bilenker (born 1978) is an American craft artist from New York City who lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ^[1] Her work is primarily in contemporary hair jewelry. ^[2] In 2010 she received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. ^[3] Bilenker uses her own hair to "draw" images of contemporary life and self-portraits. The use of hair is an attempt at showing the person, and the moments left or shed behind. ^{[4] [5]}

Collections

• Donna Schneier Collection ^[6]
• Metropolitan Museum of Art ^[7]
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ^[8]
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ^[9]
• Philadelphia Museum of Art ^[10]
• Racine Art Museum ^[11]
• Smithsonian American Art Museum ^[1]
• Yale University Art Gallery ^[12]

Exhibitions

• 40 Under 40: Craft Futures (July 19, 2012 - February 3, 2013), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. ^[13]
• Wear It or Not (March 12, 2013 - June 2, 2013), Museum of Art and Design, New York ^[14]
• Jewelry, From Pearls to Platinum to Plastic (June 27, 2015 - January 1, 2017), Newark Museum, New Jersey ^[15]
• Outrageous Ornament: Extreme Jewelry in the 21st Century (October 21, 2018 - January 27, 2019), Katonah Museum, New York ^{[16] [17]}

Awards

• 2015 Peter S. Reed Foundation Individual Artist Grant
• 2010 Pew Fellowship in the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship
• 2007 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship
• 2003 Sienna Gallery EA Award

Source: ^[18]

References

1. "Melanie Bilenker". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
2. "About". Melanie Bilenker. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
3. admin (2016-11-30). "Melanie Bilenker". The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
4. "About". Melanie Bilenker.
5. "This Artist Crafts Victoriana Miniatures Out of Her Own Hair". Vogue. 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
6. Suzanne, Ramljak (2014-05-02). Unique by Design: Contemporary Jewelry in the Donna Schneier Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN   9781588395542.
7. "melanie bilenker". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
8. "Garden brooch". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2018-12-23. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
9. ""Pants" Brooch | The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston". www.mfah.org. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
10. "Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object : Chocolate". www.philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
11. "Celebrating female innovators at the Racine Art Museum". 10Best. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
12. ""Oatmeal" Brooch ("Morning Ritual" Series) | Yale University Art Gallery". artgallery.yale.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
13. "40 under 40: Craft Futures". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
14. "Wear it or Not: Recent Jewelry Acquisitions". madmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
15. "Jewelry, from Pearls to Platinum to Plastic | Newark Museum | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
16. "KMA: Katonah Museum of Art | Exhibition Archive". www.katonahmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
17. "Outrageous Ornament: Extreme Jewelry in the 21st Century". ArtfixDaily. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
18. "Awards & Collections". Melanie Bilenker.