Melanie was raised in the rural Central Valley of California, later studying Cultural Anthropology and Art at the University of California, Davis, where she learned to silkscreen with Malaquias Montoya, who became her mentor in the craft.

After a time working in agency and enterprise as a UX Designer and founding the Race After Technology Book Club, she now focuses full-time on her art practice.

Melanie has lived and worked in Honduras, Israel, China, and Australia, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is currently based in Sacramento, CA.