ARTIST BIO

Dorothy was born and raised in Santa Fe. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for her undergraduate degree in Visual Studies and obtained her master’s degree in Performance Design and Practice from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London. Upon returning to the US, Dorothy lived in Detroit for three years, where she became a core ensemble member of A Host of People, a devising theater company for which she is the resident scenic and costume designer. Travel and experience living abroad is very important to Dorothy’s practice and has inspired much of her work. She has participated in artist residencies and shown work in Mexico, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as domestically in Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, Cleveland, Greensboro, and Santa Fe .

ARTIST STATEMENT

Dorothy’s work spans theater and live performance, to video, installation, and puppetry. Often times the distinctions of media or category are blurred. Rigorous research has always been fundamental to her practice and is the foundation of much of her work. Additionally, she is always looking for new techniques, tools, or media to learn and explore. Dorothy is adept at working alone but also thrives in collaborative projects.
Much of Dorothy’s work emerges as a response to her environment. Whether it is a building, a city, or an entire country, she is interested in contextualizing herself within culture, place and time. Much of this interest stems from spending time in diverse locations and working with people from different cultural backgrounds.

PROPOSAL SUMMARY

I am seeking funding to continue the development of a body of work I began in 2018 as a result of spending three months in Japan as an artist in residence. The work involves live performance, as well as passive and interactive installation environments.

Learn more about Dorothy Melander-Dayton here.