Mēlani N. Douglass

Healer, conceptual artist and curator Mēlani N. Douglass is the founder of the award winning Family Arts Museum – a migratory institution focused on the celebration of  family as fine art, home as curated space, and community as gallery. Inspired by the  birth of her daughter, Mēlani started her own museum, reimagined her studio practice,  and refined her innovative approach to community engagement, audience development,  and exhibition design. Mēlani’s art and life practice is rooted in rituals of healing  informed by mitochondrial memories, ancestral technology, the web of interdependency,  and communal connections. Sought out for her unique approach to community  engagement, she works with museums, businesses, and other cultural institutions to  redefine audience development using her Transformative Engagement Method to  create symbiotic relationships between institutions and the public that move from  inspiration to engagement and then action.  

Mēlani was recently named East of the River Artist in Residence serving ward 8 with  a focus on Anacostia. She is currently the director of public programs at the National  Museum of Women in the Arts. Her work has been highlighted by the New York Times,  Atlas Obscura, Shondaland, Bmore Art, American Museum Alliance Magazine,  Baltimore Magazine, Artnet, and National Geographic.