Melissa Wolf

(b. Kansas City, Kansas 1999)

Most recently she was part of the Local Artists Go Miniature exhibition at the National Museum of Toy and Miniatures and has an article published about her work in Forum, a Kansas City-based print magazine. Wolf holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute.

Wolf is a Mexican-American woman whose sculptures challenge functionality, exploring what it means to transform objects beyond their original purpose. She specializes in mixed media sculpture, often working with concrete as both a primary material and a surface treatment to prompt viewers to question what that looks like in their day to day life. She encases objects like stuffed animals in concrete, allowing them to solidify into new, redefined forms. Beyond cement, she incorporates clay, textiles, wood, and found materials, embracing an experimental approach to materiality. As a direct response to her Latino upbringing, through playfulness and self-reflection, she explores themes of memory and transformation, with childhood objects and toys serving as central motifs. Her work captures fleeting moments, preserving them as tangible, lasting artifacts.