CV | |
Education | |
| 2017 - 2020 | M.F.A. Candidate in Studio Art Photography, University of North Texas, Denton, TX |
| 2009 - 2014 | B.A. Art & Art History, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY |
Awards | |
| 2023 | Luminaria Working Artist Award, San Antonio, TX. City of San Antonio Individual Artist Grant, San Antonio, TX. |
| 2022 | Scholarship from La Luz Workshops to attend the "The Photobook: An Overview of Traditional Publishing, Limited Editions, & The Artist’s Book" Symposium |
| 2020 | The Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund Coronavirus Relief Award, Dallas Museum of Art |
| 2019 | J. Robert Egar Photography Scholarship |
| Society of Photographic Education Portfolio Throwdown Winner | |
| Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas Fund Project Winner | |
| 2018 | College of Visual Arts and Design Student Project Award |
| J. Robert Egar Photography Scholarship | |
| University of North Texas, Toulhouse Graduate School Tuition Award |
Skills | |
| Apple Mac and Windows operating systems knowledge, Teaching (developing and implementing curriculum and learning outcomes), Canvas, Art and Art History, Art Appreciation, Design, Photography and History of Photography, Cultural Heritage Digitization, Printmaking, Bookmaking, Reading and Research, Writing, Accessibility Accomodations, Extensive knowledge in Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Lightroom, and Bridge, DSLR and Analog photography, Studio Lighting, Screen calibration, Color Grading, Scanning, Printing, Gallery and Exhibitions, MS Office Suite, Outlook, Teams, Remote Teaching, Zoom Video Conferencing |
Courses Taught | |
| Art Appreciation, Intermediate Photography, Advanced Photography, Foundational Design |
Exhibitions | |
| 2024 (forthcoming) |
Color Code (solo show), Presa Gallery, San Antonio, TX. |
| 2023 | Artists Looking at Art: “We had no choice”: an Altar to Migrants, McNay Museum, San Antonio, TX. |
| Soy de Tejas, Centro de Artes Gallery, San Antonio, TX. Curated by Rigo Luna. | |
| Picking at Scabs, Michael and Noémi Neidorff Art Gallery, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX. Curated by Gil Rocha. | |
| Aquí y Allá, Presa Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX. | |
| 2022 | Fronteriza : Nuestra Artist Collective Show, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas, TX |
| 2021 | Te Digo Que Lo Llevo En La Sangre, Fort Worth Community Art Center, Fort Worth, TX |
| 2020 | How-To, TCU Art Galleries, Online Exhibition and Artist Conversation with David Blandy |
| 2019 | here, they think it's a desert: solo exhibition, 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX |
| Social Landscapes, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas, TX | |
| The Art of Resilience: Latinx Public Witness in Troubled Times, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX | |
| Pernicious Blue: A Group Exhibition, Dallas Public Library, Dallas, TX | |
| The Book as Art v7.0: Wonders Exhibition, Decatur Library, Decatur, GA | |
| Aquí / Ahora, Fort Worth Cultural Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX | |
| 2018 | Family Reunion with Latino Hustle: Brindis, Fort Worth Cultural Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX |
| Ink in Common, UNT Union Gallery, Denton, TX | |
| Graduate Pathways Exhibition, Tarrant County College Northwest Campus, Fort Worth, TX | |
| 2017 | Society for Photographic Education Exhibition, Cultivate 7twelve, Waco, TX |
| Sculpture Graduate Show, Lightwell Gallery, University of North Texas | |
| Field Notes, Lightwell Gallery, University of North Texas | |
| Juried Exhibitions | |
| 2021 | Juror for TEXARKANA REGIONAL ARTS & HUMANITIES COUNCIL, INC. Student Juried Exhibition. |
| 2020 | TEXAS NOW: 2020 Texas Juried Exhibition, Artspace III, Fort Worth, TX and online exhibition |
| 2019 | Excavations; Sanctuary (Best in Show), Juried by Alex Ebstein, Mantle Art Space, San Antonio, TX |
| 2017 | Uncertain Times: Borders, Refuge, Community, Nationhood, Juried by Deborah Willis, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA |
| #tpsNewVisions, Juried by Kenda North, Tammy Cromer Gallery, Dallas, TX |
| Professional Experience | |
| January 2024-present | Adjunct Faculty, Palo Alto College, Alamo Colleges Teach cross-listed college-level course in Art Appreciation to students, including dual-credit students. Am implementing a rigorous syllabus that is designed to teach students a survey of artwork throughout history that is geographically, and culturally diverse. The artworks covered stem from various time periods in history, and into the contemporary period. Written assignments, quizzes, classroom participation and exams are a part of how students are assessed in this course. I provide students written feedback and provide information about resources that students would find helpful in an academic setting. |
| 2022-present | Acquisitions & cataloging associate, texas a&M university - San Antonio Library In charge of acquiring and cataloging print and ebooks for the library's collection, in accordance with the academic needs of University librarians, patrons and faculty members. Supervise and train 2 student workers in library policies, acquisitions procedures, and general caring for the library collection (book repair tasks and maintaining the stacks). Active in committees in the library, conferences, and professional development opportunities. |
| 2021 | Adjunct Instructor in Photography, College of Visual Arts and Design, University of North Texas Teach college-level courses in photography. Design and implement syllabus for the class so that certain objectives are met: students understand how to correctly operate their photo and printing equipment, students produce high quality prints to show and discuss in class, students understand college-level art theory and writing skills, and pursue professional development opportunities. |
| 2018-2020 | Graduate Student Photographer for Portal to Texas History, Digital Projects Unit, Willis Library, University of North Texas Capture digital images of cultural heritage materials to be uploaded into the Portal to Texas History primarily using the Phase One tethered capture system. Established imaging standards on digitization equipment in the lab and completed projects independently. Demonstrated strong interest in professional development within Texas Digital Libraries. |
| 2018 | Photo Documentation Assistant, College of Visual Arts and Design, University of North Texas Photographed student artwork, processed images using Adobe Lightroom, and provided students with images in TIFF format. Established workflow, applied lens and color corrections, cropped, spot healed, and added metadata to photographs. |
| Teaching Assistant Design 2, College of Visual Arts and Design, University of North Texas Led a lab section in foundations course in which students apply creative problem solving on various projects. Guided undergraduate students on learning elements of design, how to contribute constructive criticism to fellow peers, how to work with tools safely, and how to successfully document their work. | |
| 2015-2017 | Library Assistant (Supervisor), Coates Library, Trinity University Trained and supervised 10 student assistants at circulation access services desk. Provided customer service to patrons when needed, provided help in the following areas: reference, catalog, computers, microfilm software, printing, and other services. |
| 2014-2015 | Technical Library Assistant, Bexar County Bibliotech Digital Library, San Antonio, TX Advised patrons on how to use e-books, digital services, apps, computers, printers and more, in person and over the phone. Learned to help patrons use American Disabilities Act assistive technology. Led and designed community program to teach kids coding and led a book club for teens. |
| Presentations | |
| 2024 | Forthcoming appearance on Al Otro Lado del Espejo, documentary by Kathy Sosa. |
| 2023 | Artists Looking at Art: Melissa Gamez Herrera, conversation between Melissa Gamez Herrera and Curator of Latinx Art, Mia Lopez. McNay Museum, San Antonio, TX. Artist Talk/Presentation of “We had no choice”: an Altar to Migrants, for McNay Museum docents. |
| 2022 | Retaining Student Employees in Digital Libraries: Shared Experiences from Graduate Students. Conversation with Whitney Freeman & Melissa Gamez Herrera. |
| 2020 | How-To, TCU Art Galleries, Artist Conversation with David Blandy. |
| Te Digo Que Lo Llevo en la Sangre: Exhibition, Conversation with Giovanni Valderas, Fort Worth Community Art Center. | |
| 2019 | “Women Workers of the Borderlands.” Melissa Gamez-Herrera, Contemporary Arts Dealers of Dallas Fund, Dallas, TX, March, 24. |
| 2018 | Graduate Pathways Exhibition Artist Talk. Melissa Gamez-Herrera, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, TX, January |
| Publications | |
| Gamez-Herrera, Melissa and Willis, Shannon. “Hidden Gems: A Partnership between the Digitization Lab and Photography Studio Art at UNT.” Presented for the Texas Conference on Digital Libraries. May 22, 2019. |
| Bibliography | |
| 2022 | Joining Culture and the Land: Karla García’s “Rebuilt from the Ground Up,” written by Melissa Gamez Herrera. https://glasstire.com/2022/06/04/joining-culture-and-the-land-karla-garcias-rebuilt-from-the-ground-up/. Posted June 4, 2022. |
| Gamez-Herrera, Melissa, “Preserving Cultural Heritage as an Artist and Graduate Student in Photography.” https://blogs.library.unt.edu/scholar-speak/2020/02/18/preserving-cultural-heritage-as-an-artist-and-graduate-student-in-photography/. Posted February 18, 2020. | |
| Roth, Jordan, “Ep 43. Melissa Gamez-Herrera.” (Video interview). Dallaesthetic Podcast, https://youtu.be/Zeq0V-hTrUQ. January 30, 2020. | |
| Rodriguez, Raúl. “Melissa Gamez-Herrera: Work From the Border.” Deep Red Press, https://www.deepredpress.com/interviews/2019/melissagamezherrera. August 29, 2019. | |
| Wright, Charles. “Check Out Melissa Gamez’s Artwork.” (online interview). Voyage Dallas, http://voyagedallas.com/interview/check-melissa-gamezs-artwork/. September 19, 2018. | |
| Collections | |
| “En Sus Propias Palabras” (In Her Own Words), University Special Collections, University of North Texas. https://discover.library.unt.edu/catalog/b6215255 | |
| Languages | English, Spanish |