• News
  • About
  • Organic Form
  • Rooted
  • In the Belly of the Empress
  • Reversals
  • Silkscreen
  • Installation
  • Contact
  • Menu

Melissa Staiger

  • News
  • About
  • Organic Form
  • Rooted
  • In the Belly of the Empress
  • Reversals
  • Silkscreen
  • Installation
  • Contact

"free play" curated by Melissa Staiger for Trestle Projects

May 02, 2016

Maria Hupfield and Jason Lujan are Artists-in-Residence in April-May and are showing their works in "free play" at Trestle Projects, May 20-June 10. 

"free play" was created to showcase how project spaces can facilitate an exploration of the creative process by allowing the gallery space to be used as a studio; the resulting output is then negotiated into a coherent gallery experience and exhibition.

Maria Hupfield creates handmade wearable art worn in her live performances. The viewer sees industrial gray felt and gets an optical hit of bright prismatic colored surveyor tape, satin ribbon, and repurposed metal cone-jingles worn by Native American women dancers today. Hupfield states: "My creations function as tools; jingles track body rhythms and modified industrial felt items are both shield and screen. These sculptures are carried on the body, recall everyday contemporary life, and reflect upon sight, and sound, often using the unexpected to shift experiences."

She is presenting new woven and stitched works. The bright satiny strands are sewn onto the soft felt and the outcome is a luxurious contrast. The eye bounces from one to the other striations with negative and positive contrasts on the surface.

Jason Lujan's dynamic patterns and arrangements are mastered on muted surfaces such as newsprint or plywood, and found materials, where he applies spray-paint or pigments using silkscreen and masking. His patterns are a reference to language, and are part of a process to imbuing contemporary Native American culture with an international sense of place. He states, "I use conventional painting and sculpture methods with common and ready-made materials, often combining Eastern and Western visualities; I want people to view my work and consider multiple meanings regarding cultural assumptions." 

He will be presenting work with patterning in black paint on wood and paper along with a series of collected and appropriated objects. The works are bold, hard edged and meticulous.

Jason Lujan and Maria Hupfield also work as Native Art Department International, a collaborative project focusing on international art contents, while functioning as emancipation from identity-based artwork. They are dedicated to the practice of responsible methodologies with indigenous knowledge across native, immigrant, and settler accomplices based in community building. 

www.nativeartdepartment.org

Sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery

Trestle Projects located at 400 Third Ave in Brooklyn is open on Saturday from 1-4pm. To make an appointment please email [email protected] or call/text 917-923-8096. 

Prev / Next

Join me on IG

Melissa Staiger – Prisma
Hebelstrasse 121, 4056 Basel 🇨🇭

Opening: Saturday, June 14, 4PM
On View: June 14–August 9, 2025
Open Sat, 4–6 PM or by appointment, it coincides with Art Basel week ✨, hours are e
Congratulations @makemeorange , Marsha Staiger Mom in your two person exhibition with Kathleen Callery at the @athenaeumnvfaa . I was lucky to see it last week. You can visit the @torpedofactoryartists to see it in her studio. 

Seen here with her gr
Thrilled to have these @jamie.mirabella collages!!! Also, recent pics from her studio. Loved learning about her process and installation ideas💡!!!
Congratulations @robdeoude on your exhibition at @mckenzie_fine_art ! I got to see it last weekend. It's closed but I am sure you will have a few paintings in the back room!
Congratulations @melanievote on your show "The Light Eaters" @equitygallery . I feel like the large painting should be collected by a museum. Don't miss! A knockout show!!!
Big thanks to @abatonprojectroom for all their support! Congratulations Mark & Lauri on the article. Read entire article by @johnmendelsohn123 at @artspiel

"Mark Dagley is an artist who has exhibited his paintings and sculptures, which expl
A heartfelt thank you to the incredible Beatrice Wolert @beawolert  for visiting my Light, Color and Design class at @prattfoundation as a guest speaker!

Beatrice shared her powerful artwork with us—deeply rooted
THE EXPANDING PLANE
Last Chance TODAY, April 26, 
132 Bowery | 3rd Floor, NY NY 10013
@helmcontemporary

 Saturday 11am -5pm

I want to thank  @alex.stolyarov.studio for coming to my @prattfoundation Light, Color & Design class to talk
Beautiful paintings by @pierreobando at @starr.suites! "Some kind..." is on view until May 18th.
This Saturday, March 29th from 4–6p, American Abstract Artists will host a closing reception for NEW MEMBERS, our exhibition featuring AAA’s most recently inducted member-artists.

Featured Artists:
Sharon Butler, Beth Dary, Carrie Golkin
Last Day, March 27, 11am-6pm to see Transitory Gestures at @residencyunlimited located at 360 Court St, BKLN.  This is @jana.zatvarnicka amazing work.
Mark Dagley at @abatonprojectroom , final weekend!
Beautiful installation shots from Future Proof at @westbethgallery, open from 1-6pm. Gorgeous catalog in the works....will post more soon.

Lucky to be gallery sitting with it today!!!