MELISSA LEANDRO (American, b. 1989) lives and works in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA in 2012 and her MFA in 2017, both from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Residencies include Ox-Bow, The Ragdale Foundation, The Vermont Studio Center, The Atlantic Center for the Arts, The Jacquard Center, Chicago Artist Coalition, the Weaving Mill; and she received The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation Artadia Award in 2021. Solo exhibitions include ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL), Astor Club (Chicago, IL), Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL), University of Nebraska (Omaha, NE), The University Club of Chicago (Chicago, IL), Union League of Chicago (Chicago, IL), and the Rockford University Gallery (Rockford, IL). Upcoming and recent group exhibitions include Gallery 1882 (Chesterton, IN), Heaven Gallery (Chicago, IL), Gardner Center for the Arts (Gary, IN), Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (Chicago, IL), The Peeler Art Center at DePaul University (Chicago, IL), Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago, IL), Dunedin Fine Art Center (Dunedin, FL), Kent State University Galleries (Kent, OH), ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL), Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), Lubeznik Center for the Arts (Michigan City, IN), DePaul Art Museum (Chicago, IL), and The Arts Club of Chicago (Chicago, IL). She has exhibited at art fairs in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and New York. Press includes Artforum, Bad At Sports, The Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, New American Paintings, NewCity Arts and Culture, New Art Examiner, Luxe Magazine, and The Chicago Sun Times. Her work is included in numerous public and private collections.