Her Memory Box

Melisa Cardona
Visual Artist
New Orleans, LA

From a long-time fascination with the art of telling stories through objects from her personal past and stories left behind in the objects of others, Melisa's work began 5 years ago when she returned from traveling through Europe. Returning with her in her suitcase were handfuls of letters, maps and photos both found and taken during her trip. They were stacked into her memory box, which was already full of mementos collected since her childhood in Colombia, South America.

For about a month longer these tokens lay silent in a box collecting dust, until she realized that she must do something with such beautiful memories. Beginning by painting a flat wooden surface one solid color, she continued by adding layer after layer of the boxed items, trusting something profound would coalesce. These objects started to take on lives of their own, and with each new piece Melisa experimented with different textures, materials, and finishes. Aging components she found especially brought out the stories she heard in the objects.


Melisa’s favorite objects are skeleton keys, rust, Bible and dictionary pages, images from Latin America and other found articles and images that recycle themselves into her art. Often to these favorites she will add things like magazine cut-outs and old player-piano scrolls, and her process has evolved so that she often stains these with walnut ink and finishes the piece with a medium gloss.

Melisa’s first collage was created a year before she attended her first Annual Meeting with Alternate ROOTS. Intimidated by the title “artist,” she kept her work hidden until time could take its course and bring her to where she is now with her art. It is in large part because of the help, support, and inspiration from her family at Alternate ROOTS that she has developed so much as an artist in the last three years. Now her expression takes the forms of photography, printmaking and installations in addition to the mixed-media collages she will be showing in August. The spotlight being placed on visual art makes her especially excited about this year’s AM.

She sends cheers and gratitude to her ROOTS family.

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Melisa Cardona is an active ROOTS member from New Orleans, recipient of Artistic Assistance, member of the Executive Committee, and participant in NALAC's Emerging Leaders Program.  You can follow more of her work at http://852art.wordpress.com/home/