HIGH STRUNG is a sculptural installation using everyday materials. The artist organizes the experienced chaos of mental and behavioral health challenges into delicate, precarious structures.
Melissa weaves her creations with precision and efficiency. She carefully assembles small hand-built pieces into larger, meticulously crafted configurations that offer an absorbing experience. Reminiscent of entomological constructions, the gallery’s walls, windows, and ceiling become the canvas for thousands of integrated components.
Melissa Forkner Lesher earned a BFA in painting and drawing from the Penn State School of Visual Arts and an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Currently, she works as an Instructor of Art at Penn State. Lesher has shown her work in several galleries and museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens, the Target Gallery/Torpedo Factory Art Center, the Br. Kenneth Chapman Gallery of Iona University, and the Pajama Factory.