On October 19, 2000 the Monique Meloche Gallery (mmg) had its inaugural exhibition HOMEWRECKER featuring 70+ works by 27 international artists in Meloche's Chicago home. Hundreds attended the opening and the "gallery" saw a steady stream of appointments to view the work privately from collectors, curators, critics, artists, dealers, academics over the course of 3 months while Meloche found a public space. During this time, Meloche unveiled her plans for mm projects (mmp) an independent curatorial venture to curate and organize important contemporary art exhibitions worldwide, which debuted in Miami in January 2001 with a preview DISCO-an exhibition traveling to Chicago, and New York. Meloche was granted special permission to have a booth at Art Miami 2001 with a solo project by her artist Carla Arocha curated by Jésus Fuenmayor, although mmg would not officially open until May 2001.
On May 4th, 2001 the Monique Meloche Gallery opened its doors to the public with a solo exhibition by Joel Ross "I Borrowed My Mother's Bedroom" in Chicago's West Loop (reviews in TENbyTEN and New Art Examiner). The following week Meloche hosted a private opening for her curatorial mm project DISCO at Arena Gallery for 500 VIPs from Art Chicago 2001 featuring DJ Konishi from Japan and a public opening a few days later for hundreds more (reviews in Chicago Social and NU). A summer show of gallery artists was followed by a special 1-night event of art & fashion. The fall season opened with Carla Arocha’s UNDERGROUND a site-specific installation with reviews in Artforum, Tema Celeste, Chicago Tribune, Surface and NPR. Meloche participated in the Fast FWD Miami at Hotel Nash Dec 2001, San Francisco International Art Exposition Jan 2002, and was invited to show at the International Invitational section of Art Chicago 2002 along with a project booth by John White Cerasulo. Upcoming are Artissima in Torino, Italy Nov. 2002 and ARCO 2003 with a Up&Coming emerging art booth curated by Victor Zamudio-Taylor featuring SAIC grad Carla Arocha.
Meloche was the Director of Vedanta Gallery in Chicago (1999/2000) and during her 1½ year tenure altered their artistic program to include an international mix of emerging and mid-career artists working on the cutting edge of artistic production. This undisputedly put the gallery on the international map culminating in 15+ reviews in local, national, and international publications and substantially increasing visitors including collectors, curators, critics, and others who had not visited the gallery during its first 4 years of operation. The gallery was selected as 1 of 5 US galleries in the Cutting Edge section of ARCO 2000 Madrid, accepted into the prestigious Art Chicago 2000, chosen to participate in the 1st ever Currents section of Art Miami 2000, as well as Art Forum Berlin 1999 and Arco 1999. Prior to that, Meloche worked 2 years as Director of Rhona Hoffman Gallery where she curated the ambitious group exhibition No Small Feat: The History of the Shoe in Contemporary Art, and brought in such noted artists as James Drake (who was included in the 2000 Whitney Museum Biennial in NY) and Sharon Louden. From 1991-1997 Meloche served in various capacities at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, most prominently as Assistant Curator from 1995-1997 working on such exhibitions as Sylvie Fleury Glamour wall project, Wesley Kimler’s 1995 solo show, and Art in Chicago: 1945-1995 with contributions to the catalogue.
She will again co-teach a graduate art history course in 20th Century Art and Fashion at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to be involved in graduate level critique programs at SAIC, UIC, and UofC and gives student lectures at the request of local and national universities and hosts private tours at her gallery through the MCA, Art Institute, Society for Contemporary Arts, and more.
Meloche holds a BFA in art history from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Art History and Theory from SAIC. She has served on the Board of Directors for the New Art Examiner magazine for 3 years (most recently as Vice President). She was a founding member of the West Loop Gate Arts Council in 1997 serving as co-chair for 3 years. Meloche continues to serve on the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago Annual Benefit Auction Committee as well as the Marwen Foundation PaintBrush Ball committee over the past 3 years. She was a juror for Around the Coyote 2002. Meloche is actively involved in the “Other Group” an organization of young dealers, curators, critics, and collectors in Chicago and recently joined the mutli-disciplinary board of CollaborAction Theater.
Publications include Art in Chicago: 1945-1995 (1996 University of Chicago Press), Joe Ziolkowski The Pressure Series (1997 Pohlmann Press, CA), “Trouble Spot.Painting,” extended review of exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp (MUHKA) and New International Cultural Center (NICC) in New Art Examiner (March 2000), and Wesley Kimler/april galleons and broken chairs (2000 exhibition catalogue/essay).
Bibliography includes Chicago Social July/August 2001, Tema Celeste Summer 2001, and FGA October 2000. She was nominated as 1 of 10 people to watch by Chicago Magazine and voted Best Art Gallery in New City 2001.
Chicago Magazine Front Runner June 2002.
Meloche brings with her over 10 years of solid experience within the Chicago arts community that spans all facets of the population from collectors to curators to critics to scholars to dealers to artists to the average viewer. She has earned respect and trust from this community that was evident from the results gained during her time at Vedanta Gallery. Of course, her experience and connections are not relegated to Chicago and Meloche is also supported by a national and international artworld constituency.
moniquemeloche
951 W. Fulton Chicago 60607
p 312.455.0299 f 312.455.0899 www.moniquemeloche.com