Lourdes Melendez

Lourdes Melendez is a Chicana comic artist based in Spokane, WA. She studied studio art at Eastern Washington University with a BFA in studio art and minors in art history and creative writing. She graduated summa cum laude with various acknowledgements including the Jeffers W. Chertok Dean’s Excellence Award for the Art department and the Philip Grub art grant. Born and raised in the Southside of Milwaukee, WI, Melendez has been influenced by the urban landscape of her city and its diverse populations. Through her inclination of observation as a way to engage with others, Lourdes strives to create art that is rooted in empathy and self-reflection, broadening one’s own perception of those around us. Lourdes has recently been selected as an artist-in-residence at The Hive in downtown Spokane, where she plans on expanding the comic making possibilities of Eastern Washington.