Contributing Artists

Melissa Ferrari is an experimental animator, nonfiction filmmaker, magic lanternist and educator who seeks to acquaint folklores of the past with contemporary culture. In exposing peripheral histories, she aims to unveil the wonder that lies in the shadow of nonfiction, rather than fiction. Her practice engages with the mythification of science and pseudoscience, the preternatural, and histories of phantasmagoria and documentary. 

Originally from Virginia, Melissa is now based in Los Angeles where she received an Experimental Animation M.F.A. from CalArts. Her films and magic lantern performances have been shown internationally in venues such as Hot Docs, Hauser & Wirth LA, Ottawa International Animation Festival, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival.  Recent awards for her lantern shows and films include the 2023 Dick Balzer Award, the 2022 Damer E. Waddington Red Cabbage Award, and the 2020 Science Sandbox Symbiosis Award.  As a documentary animator, Melissa specializes in handmade and experimental techniques.  Her commissioned work has appeared on PBS, BBC, CNN, and The New York Times.  Melissa teaches courses and workshops on animation & expanded cinema, and has been a lecturer at CalArts, Whittier College, Queens College, Cal State LA, and LACHSA. 

melissaferrari.com // @melissa.a.ferrari

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