Art-based experiences that make people feel something — and do something together.
I design and lead participatory art experiences for organizations, teams, events, and properties. Not art therapy. Not a corporate icebreaker. Something better."
Process over product. Ownership over instruction.
-Melissa Courtney
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This is for: Organizations, groups & cultural institutions.
What:
COMMUNITY CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & RETREATS. (I call them experiences...)
Multi-session fine art experiences where participants learn real technique — and leave with real work. No craft-store supplies. No busywork. We get in the flow.
This is for: Corporate offsites & HR-led wellness days.
What:
WORKPLACE & TEAMS
A team-building alternative to trust falls and paint-and-sips. Through guided, somatic-based making, teams move out of performance mode and into shared presence — building something with their hands, side by side. The result is a felt sense of connection that icebreakers can't manufacture, without anyone needing to perform, share, or be "good at art."
This is for: Nonprofit & arts fundraisers.
What:
EVENTS & GALAS
Participatory art activations that become live-auction centerpieces. Guests contribute, the room buzzes, and the finished work has a story only your donors share.
My name is Melissa.
I facilitate experiences rooted in a therapeutic arts approach: people find their way best when they trust themselves to discover. Each experience is held, not led — building your own eye, your instinct, your creative confidence, rather than moving you toward a predetermined outcome.
let's chat.
Milwaukee WI | Global