Melanie Ariens

Melanie Ariens is a multi-media artist whose work focuses on the Great Lakes and freshwater issues. She uses art as a tool to create awareness and capture peoples’ hearts around water issues. Often she often uses a simple metaphor to frame how we perceive the state of the lakes. She creates water shrines and fetish pieces, serving to inspire stewardship for our shared waters, gently urging us all to celebrate and care for them. In the Great Lakes watershed where she lives, she feels we have a special responsibility to do this, for we are the stewards of one of the World’s greatest freshwater resources. Melanie has worked on many public art projects including for the Urban Ecology Center, the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage district and the Watermarks project.