Bio: Melissa Ladd
Melissa Ladd is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Benin, 2017-2019) who holds B.A.s in Art History and Archaeology from the College of Wooster and is working towards an M.A. in the History of Art and a Certificate in Public History at Bowling Green State University. Her primary research at BGSU is in graffiti and street art, particularly in relation to graffiti’s place within the fine arts, its relation to museums and galleries, and its role as the visual art of hip hop culture. Her undergraduate thesis, completed in 2016, discusses graffiti and street art’s infiltration into the world of respected art and contemporary galleries, and the artist Banksy’s role in bringing international recognition of graffiti as a legitimate art. Melissa has worked for her local public library and historical society in their collections and archives, helping to digitize and populate metadata for their historical photographs and documents, as well as with the Wood County Museum taking the lead on a project involving creating narratives for the interred residents of the Wood County Infirmary using primary research and records at the WCM.