Melquiades "Melo" Dominguez, also known as Mel Dominguez (born October 14, 1978) is an American muralist, painter, and gallerist. They are Chicanx and have lived in the city of South Tucson, Arizona, since 2007, and co-own Galeria Mitolera in Tucson.
Life and career Melquiades "Melo" Dominguez was born on October 14, 1978, in Glendale, California. They are Chicanx, non-binary, and queer. In 1980, they moved to El Sereno, which is a neighborhood in the Eastside of Los Angeles. Dominguez started as a street graffiti artist, going by their graffiti name of "Melo", which can be seen on all their murals and artworks.
In 2002, Dominguez received an Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Platt College in Eagle Rock, California. In that same year, Dominguez was doing the J. Paul Getty Museum internship at Self Help Graphics & Art in East Los Angeles.
In 2012, the Tucson-Pima Arts Council nominated Dominguez as Emerging Artist of the Year.
In 2019, Dominguez received a Research & Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to enhance their skills in printmaking, sculpture, and welding, enabling them to undertake more ambitious public art installations using both new and recycled materials.
Artwork and exhibitions 2015, Speaking for the Dead, group exhibition, Innovation Gallery at ASU School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Tempe, Arizona 2014, Eco-Themed Mural, Manzo Elementary School, Tucson, ArizonaCoe, Michelle A. Influential Environments: School Gardens Impacting Arizona Children's Environmental Perspectives, Master's thesis, the University of Arizona, 2015. Arizona Highway (2012) print collected by Los Angeles County Museum of Art 2023,"Casa de Rasquache" exhibit at Pidgin Palace Arts in Tucson
Publications Dominguez, M. “Melo.” (2019). Self-Portrait. Equity & Excellence in Education, 52(4), 527. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2020.1713252
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External links
Galeria Mitolera Podcast: Melo Dominguez, Plucky Ladies (2019)