About the studio
A studio for art that brings people together
Schambach Art Studio brings participatory art experiences to organisations, on site at offices, offsites and conferences. It is led by social artist and facilitator Melanie Schambach, and based in Denver, Colorado.
- 20+years of participatory practice
- 10,000+people engaged in making art
- 150+partnerships
- ~500facilitators trained
Melanie Schambach
Melanie is a social artist and facilitator from the Americas. For more than twenty years she has worked alongside companies, universities, foundations, nonprofits, municipalities and arts councils, designing experiences where people paint, reflect and connect, and where the result is a large-scale artwork that belongs to everyone who made it.
Her partners span sectors: Amazon and Georgian Partners in business; Brescia University College, Mount Royal University and the University of Victoria in higher education; the Vancouver Foundation; nonprofits including Egale Canada, Rainbow Refugee, Mission Services of London and Sanctuary London; the City of Vancouver, the City of Guelph and the London Arts Council; and The Alliance Center in Denver.
She spent thirteen years as a creative facilitation trainer with Power of Hope and Partners for Youth Empowerment, working in the Creative Community Model, and has trained around 500 people in creative facilitation across Canada, the United States, Colombia, Guatemala and Spain, including programmes with the YMCA and Fundación Mi Sangre. She holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and a diploma in art therapy from Bogotá, and spoke at TEDxGrandJunction in 2024.
Beyond the studio
A socially engaged art practice
Alongside the studio’s art experiences, Melanie holds a socially engaged art practice: large paintings co-authored with communities, public artworks and arts-based research, exhibited internationally. In this work, the people who take part are the authors, and the painting becomes a record of what a community knows and hopes for.
Commissioned murals run as 5280 Murals.
Explore the art practice at melanieschambach.comNot sure which format fits?
Tell us your group size, your goal and your timeline. We recommend a format and send an estimate, usually within two business days. Every engagement is priced for the whole group and designed around your goal.