Artist Biography

Melanie Yugo is a Filipina-Canadian researcher, artist and educator. Moving between personal diasporic storytelling and reimagining institutional structures, she examines issues of representation, participation, cultural identity and the well-being of historically marginalized communities. Melanie aims to promote more inclusive knowledge, methodologies and forms through research, publishing, printmaking and the creation of independent art platforms. A social scientist by training, her work uniquely combines artistic, public policy, teaching, entrepreneurial and care practices.

Melanie co-founded and directs Possible Worlds, a community-driven project space, shop and publisher. The recipient of multiple provincial and municipal arts grants and international residencies, she has presented her artwork, facilitated workshops and led programming across Canada and abroad, including at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Art Gallery and the Philippines Embassy to Canada. Her work has been featured in Canadian Art, National Post, CBC and Radio-Canada. As part of the collective Spins & Needles with her partner Jason Pelletier, she pioneered an innovative art and music engagement and education model, which inspired the National Gallery of Canada to launch a new public program, alongside countless collaborations with museums, academic institutions, festivals, not-for-profit organizations and technology corporations, amongst others. She champions partnerships beyond the arts sector and in non-traditional presentation spaces.

In parallel, Melanie has designed a twenty-year career in social and cultural public policy. She has led national and international policy, research and partnership initiatives for a diverse range of stakeholders and publics at Canadian Heritage, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. More recently, she led the completion of award-nominated federal government reviews aiming to remove barriers for equity-deserving communities to Canadian citizenship, as well as Canadian arts, culture, heritage and sport programs.

Melanie holds an M.Sc. in Social and Cultural Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a B.Sc. in Psychology from McGill University, in addition to completing summer studies at the School of Visual Arts in printmaking and community design.

Melanie was born in Toronto, raised in Mississauga, and is currently based between Toronto and Ottawa.