Melanie Schambach is a Latinx social artist, visual facilitator, and arts-based engagement specialist. For over two decades, she has designed and led community art projects that invite collective reflection, creativity, and connection. Her work uses participatory visual arts to explore themes of identity, memory, and social responsibility across sectors, generations, and cultures.

Melanie’s praxis is grounded in a combination of formal and lived learning. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2006) and has additional training in trauma-informed practice, art therapy principles, strength-based coaching, embodied movement, and conflict resolution. She integrates these methods to create inclusive, thoughtful processes that support dialogue and shared insight.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1981, and raised in the fog forests of Dapa, Melanie later moved with her family to Guatemala City, where she became increasingly aware of social inequity and the legacy of colonization. In 2000, she relocated to Canada, and as of 2024, is based in Denver, USA.

Her work has been featured at the Seattle Art Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and Harbour Centre in Vancouver. She has collaborated with universities, grassroots organizations, and researchers across America and Europe and has shared her approach through public speaking—including TEDx—and cross-sector partnerships.