CV
Mel Favors-Oliver (she/they)
B. 1999 | Based on Lenni-Lenapehoking Land
[email protected] | melsorbit.carrd.co
Artist Statment
Mel (b. 1999) is a multimedia artist, poet, and research archivist based on Lenapeoking Munsee Land. After studying Journalism at Temple University (A.A., certificate & minor in German), she worked in state conservation, communications, and environmental education seeking deeper community connection and purpose.Her creative practice blends research-driven, poetic documentation—exploring queerness, memory, environmentalism, suburban mundanity, grief, and the impermanence of identity—through photography, weaving, fiber art, and basketry that reflect her Choctaw heritage. Mel’s photo archive serves as both altar and research tool, making visible the hidden emotional landscapes of queer isolation.Now, she’s expanding into archiving and digital services, offering expertise in database building, cataloging, and digitizing archival materials for online access. Rooted in preservation, and Indigenous cultural memory, her work resists erasure through cultural resilience, community storytelling and ecological awareness—crafting new ways to preserve, remember, and share marginalized stories in the digital age.
Experience
Sinister Wisdom, Cataloging Feminist Bookstore News(letters), Descriptive Database Entry, Summer Intern 2025, RemoteMagnum Photos, Workshop Assistant Coordinator for Carolyn Drake, February 2025, New YorkPVH Corporation, Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein Fashion Archives, Workshop + Tour, April 2025, NYCHaddonfield Historical Society, Archival Intern + Research Journalist, January 2025-Present, Haddonfield, NJ.Index Space, Digital Archiving: Gallery of Anonymous Memories 6 week course, March - April 2025, New York City, NYLesbian Herstory Archives, volunteer, November 2024- February 2025, Brooklyn, NY.Tilt Institute for Contemporary Image, Teaching Assistant and Gallery Exhibition Curatorial Associate, October 2018- May 2021, Philadelphia, PA.
Exhibitions:
April 2025 Queer & Proud, San Francisco LGBT Center, CA (Group)February 2022, Not for Sale, Iglesias Gardens + Pilot Project, Philadelphia, Pa. (Group)September 2020, Online Exhibition, WindowRoom + Krissytalkingpictures.net, Philadelphia, PA.
Published
“I thought it would be fun to shame rich people but got caught up with self-love again". Scissors PHL, Living Dyke Archive, (Issue 4), Philadelphia, PA, 2025. (Poem, p.59 poem)
Residency
2023 Letter Press on Legos, First Proof Press +InSitu Polyculture, Westminster, VT
Skills & Abilities
Computation, Software, and Tech
Google Suite: Docs, pages, Slides, Drive, Calender-
Microsoft Office, word, excel, powerpoint-
Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge-
Figma, Framer, & Carrd-
Database Entry & Management-
Mega, Trello, Airtable, Notion, wetransfer-
Google scholar, awesometable, librarything-
Datawrapper, PamPam, Softr, Retool, New Art CityArchiving
Digital cataloging systems and databases
Digital Preservation
Paper preservation
Developing collections
Time and space management
Management of inventory, schedules, libraries and logs
Scanning, Printing and Restoration
Digital Documentation & Photography
Descriptive Writing for Catalogs
Auction & Estate Sale
Coordinating acquisitions and Inventory Tracking
Patience & Precision
Organized and detail-orientedEnvironmental
Understanding of how materials interact in different environments
Knowledge of fiber arts, natural dyes, and experimental material
Ethical Foraging and Wildcraft
Community Organizing and Environmental Justice
Sustainable Land and Plant Stewardship
Wilderness Survival and First Aid
American Red-Cross CPR & AED Certified
US Archery Instructor 1Education
Public speaking and workshop facilitation
Creating and implementing syllabi
Creative problem-solving and adaptability
Organized and detail-oriented
Collaboration with Indigenous and local communities
Engaged and interactive teaching methods
Conflict Resolution and group dynamics
Mentorship and Guidance
Teaching diverse learning styles and abilitiesAdmin
Confidentiality & Discretion
Budgets and Grant writing
Efficient Typist
Organizing, comprising and sending emails to executives, parents, and organizations
FundraisingArts
Guitar for 20 years (Classical, Blues, & Rock)
Vocals (Soprano)
Photography
Poetry & Magazine writing
Digital Collage
Basket Weaving
Sound Healing
Oracle Studies
German Language
© Untitled. All rights reserved.