In 2001, Mel received a BA in Studio Art from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. During this time she focused on drawing and painting, so in order to learn about ceramics, she completed a two year apprenticeship with Doug Browe and Jan Hoyman in Ukiah, CA. Mel earned an MFA came from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2011. The following year, she taught ceramics at the College of St. Benedict at St. Johns University in Collegeville, MN. Residencies include Millersville University in Pennsylvania, Medalta International in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. Mel has received a number of awards for her work, including the LEAP Award from the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA in 2011, and the Emerging Artists Award, from the National Council for Education and the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in 2014."Artist's Statement: "​I believe that the capacity to empathize can be developed through attentive engagement with daily landscape, and that the health of that landscape affects the health of our minds. In addition to spending time in nature, I cultivate such empathy through my drawing practice; I want to express the emotion, beauty, and humor I see in animals. My work seeks to capture the viewer's emotional interest and to rekindle her sense of wonder and discovery."