Photo by Jahtiek Long
Melissa West, Director & Senior Curator, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor, is a leading force behind the compelling vision for the arts at Snug Harbor. In this senior role, West oversees exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, public art, and related programs across the historic 83-acre campus. Since 2017, she has provided financial support, resources, and opportunities to hundreds of artists, cultural organizations, and community partners. A lifelong Staten Islander, West has increased access to the arts for thousands of New Yorkers, creating innovative ways for audiences to engage through in-person and digital experiences. Before joining Snug Harbor in 2015, Melissa directed the grassroots art walk, Second Saturdays Staten Island, where she advocated for arts equity and connected venues and small businesses with artists across the island. She was an adjunct faculty member within the Wagner College dance department from 2022-2024, where she taught dance history and choreography. West was a New York Community Trust Leadership Fellow (2016) and participated in the New York Foundation for the Arts Emerging Leaders program (2019-20). A recent recipient of the Mertz Gilmore Dance Research Grant from Staten Island Arts, she is a 2023-24 Co-Fellow for Utopian Practice from Culture Push for her work on the newly launched Shaolin Art Party digital media hub. Melissa holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Dance from Hunter College.
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Images by Lance Reha, Christine Cruz, Meredith Sladek, Tattfoo Tan, Lisa Dahl; courtesy of Snug Harbor