MELISSA LEANDRO (American, b. 1989) lives and works in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA in 2012 and her MFA in 2017, both from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Residencies include Ox-Bow Residency, The Ragdale Foundation, The Vermont Studio Center, The Atlantic Center for the Arts, The Jacquard Center, Chicago Artist Coalition, and the Weaving Mill. Her recent awards include the Teaching Artist Cohort at The Center for Craft in 2025, the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation Artadia Award in 2021, and the Craft Fellowship Recipient from the Illinois Arts Council in 2020. Solo exhibitions include ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL), Astor Club (Chicago, IL), Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL), University of Nebraska (Omaha, NE), The University Club of Chicago (Chicago, IL), Union League of Chicago (Chicago, IL), Ignition Project Space (Chicago, IL), Rockford University Gallery (Rockford, IL). Group exhibitions include Heaven Gallery (Chicago, IL), Gardner Center for the Arts (Gary, IN), Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago, IL), Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (Chicago, IL), The Peeler Art Center, DePaul University (Chicago, IL), Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago, IL), Soho House (Chicago, IL), Dunedin Fine Art Center (Dunedin, FL), Kent State University Galleries (Kent, OH), ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL), Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), Artruss Gallery (Chicago, IL), Lubeznik Center for the Arts (Michigan City, IN), DePaul Art Museum (Chicago, IL), Circle Contemporary (Chicago, IL) Degroot Fine Art (Chicago, IL), MCC Art Gallery (Mesa, AZ), Mana Contemporary (Chicago, IL) Sullivan Galleries, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL), and The Arts Club of Chicago (Chicago, IL). She has exhibited at art fairs in Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, and New York. Her work is included in numerous public and private collections.