The Outsiders' Nostalgic Fantasy Painting

Melissa Loop is a contemporary painter living in Minneapolis. Her work has been exhibited at venues throughout the United States, including Breeze Block Gallery in Portland, OR; grayDuck Gallery in Austin, TX; and Space in Boston, MA. A well-known Twin Cities artist, her paintings have been featured in shows at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Burnet Gallery, Soo Visual Art Center, Art of This and Rosalux Gallery. Her paintings have also been on view in international exhibitions at the National Galleries in Edinburgh, Scotland and at the Direktorenhaus Museum for Arts, Crafts and Design in Berlin, Germany. She is a 2013 and 2017 recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, a 2012 Jerome Foundation Fellow and a 2006 Vanderlip Travel Grant awardee. Rebecca Wilson, chief curator for Saatchi, named Loop an “Artist to Watch.” Saatchi also recognized Loop in their “Best of 2014” compilation of artists. Loop’s paintings have been featured in print and online publications such as New American Paintings, Beautiful/Decay, Boooom!, Create Mag, Jealous Curator, the Walker Art Center Blog and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Loop’s work is included in collections nationally and internationally. She is represented by grayDUCK Gallery in Austin, TX and Galeria Casa Colon in Merida Mexico.