Monika Meler, May 2025
Can you tell us about the history of your personal exposure to art? How did you first become interested? Did any artists or works inspire you to pursue becoming an artist?
As an immigrant from Poland to Chicago, my family and I worked in labor-intensive jobs, like many other immigrants. The first time I made a lithograph; the process was not unlike degreasing the floor of the service area at the Saturn car dealership my parents and I cleaned to pay for school. Machinery, chemicals, and process-intensive work were familiar. When cleaning sinks at Saturn, I often made drawings using my finger in the cleaning solution. Printmaking recalled these vivid experiences.
