meli bandera

Education

2024 MFA Cranbrook Academy of Art, Fiber, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2019 BFA Indiana University South Bend, Drawing & Painting, South Bend, IN


Exhibitions

2023

Community, Playground Detroit, Detroit, MI

Fuzz, Purple Window Gallery, Chicago, IL

Mending the Net: Fiber Club* Detroit Inaugural Members’ Exhibition, The Convent, Detroit, MI

The Art of BasBlue, BasBlue, Detroit, MI

Queer Art Expo, The LGBTQ Center, South Bend, IN

Convergence, Centric Place, Farmington Hills, MI

Hot and Thready, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI

B.Y.O.C Fundraiser, Buckham Gallery, Flint, MI

Gilda Snowden Memorial Exhibition, The Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

La Quema del Diablo, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2022

Halloween Fundraiser, Senate Theatre, Detroit, MI

Art & Social Justice, Colfax Cultural Center, South Bend, IN

Around the Bend, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN

2021

Art & Social Justice, Colfax Cultural Center, South Bend, IN

2020

Solo On Exhibit #3, Colfax Cultural Center, South Bend, IN

2019

Fine Arts Students of IUSB, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, MI

Residency Exhibition, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN

2018

For the Culture, Notre Dame Center for Arts & Culture, South Bend, IN

2016

Raclin School of the Arts Anniversary Exhibition, The History Museum, South Bend, IN


Print

2023

La Quema del Diablo

2019

Analecta IUSB’s Literacy and Artwork Journal, Issue 2019

New Views on Gender, Vol. 19


Teaching/Community

2024 Guest Artist, Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, Detroit, MI

2023 Guest Artist, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, South Bend, IN

2023 Guest Artist, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI

2023-present Department Assistant in Fiber, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2023 Performer, Sonya Clark We Are Each Other, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2023 Interview Comittee Member for Fiber Artist in Residence, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2022-2023 BIPOC Student Union Treasurer, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2019-2022 Latino Advisory Board Member, St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN

2019-2022 Early Childhood - Elementary Programs Coordinator, University of Notre Dame Office of Public Affairs, South Bend, IN

2019-2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Juror, South Bend, IN

2019-2021 Instructor, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN

2019 Ceramics Instructor, Pigeon & the Hen Pottery, South Bend, IN

2018 Guest Speaker, Indiana University-Gender Studies Conference, Columbus, IN



Residencies

2023 Digital Weaving Resident, Praxis Fiber Workshop, Cleveland, OH

2018 Undergraduate Artist Residency, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN


Curatorial Projects

2023

Behind the Scenes: Year 1, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI


Awards and Recognition

2023 Merit Scholarship, Cranbrook Academy of Art

2022 Best in Show, Art and Social Justice

2019 Art Excellence Award in Drawing and Painting, Indiana University South Bend

2018 Student Artist of the Month-December, Indiana University South Bend

Using Format