Ciara DeMelo

Ciara DeMelo is an emerging visual artist based in Philadelphia. She earned her BFA in Studio Art from West Chester University in 2022. DeMelo’s artistic practice is informed by a her experiences growing up as a black woman in Philadelphia. She is inspired by American material culture and the specific culture created by Black Americans in response to the realities they faced everyday. Her work explores the intersecting of identity traits and how they shape her experiences in both girlhood and adulthood. DeMelo continues to live and create in Philadelphia, where she explores new artistic directions that reflect her ongoing dialogue with her environment and experiences. 

I tend to use my work as a way to process my reality. I am inspired by the specific experiences that have become a shared culture among black Americans. Especially the experiences unique to black girls. And while we have these shared experiences, it is intersecting identity traits that make our experiences unique to us as individuals. Pulling inspiration from children’s toys, illustration, and folk tales I explore how each past “version” of myself seems to evolve into the next. Much like how small repeating elements compound into intricate patterns, I am curious how each day we face, and each experience we have, informs our identity. No matter how minute it may seem or how much time has passed. 

Pennsylvania