Melanie Cooper Pennington
CV
Melanie Cooper Pennington
Bloomington, Indiana
www.melaniepennington.com
Instagram: @MelanieCooperPennington
Education
2016 MFA, Sculpture, Indiana University
1999 BA, Studio Art, Wheaton College
Solo Exhibitions
2025 Shred My Skin, IFell Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2023 Rapture, International Center for the Arts, Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy
Climb in and Back Out Again, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN
2019 Humanimals in Precarious Positions, ARTLINK Contemporary, Fort Wayne, IN
2012 Boulevard Fine Art, Hinsdale, IL
2011 The Body is Present, Buerger Juell, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026 Continuum, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2024 Two Things are True, curated by Sarah Hanssen and Michelle Silver, Distortion Gallery, Beacon, NY
2023 State of Clay, Grunwald Gallery of Art, Bloomington, IN
Bloomington Artist Festival, curated by Tamara Brown, FAR Center for Contemporary Arts, Bloomington, IN
2021 Among Beasts, curated by Haley Inhart and Joseph Ovalle, sUgAR Gallery, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Maternochronics, curated by Emily Zarse, online exhibition Fibers Exhibition, curated by Tamara Kostianovsky, TheInArtGallery
2020 Gendered Perspectives, Indiana University East, Richmond, IN
2019 New and Next Exhibition, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
New and Next Exhibition, Melvin Peterson Gallery, Evansville, IN
Plushie Show, curated by Kathryn Baczeski, Fried Fruit Art Gallery, Deland, FL
Play as Production Act 1, curated by Lucy Stranger, ACRE Gallery, Chicago, IL
2018 Faculty Exhibition, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2017 Log on Log off, Cyber Infrastructure Building, Bloomington, IN
Station to Station, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
Sculpture in the Parks, Chicago Sculpture International, Chicago, IL
2016 Two Person Exhibition, Tim Faulkner Gallery, Louisville, KY
Installation Nation, Indianapolis Art Center Sculpture Park, Indianapolis, IN
Two Person Exhibition, Primary Colors Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Witness Your Self, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2015 Group Exhibition, IFell Gallery, Bloomington, IN
Group Exhibition, Community Supported Arts, Bloomington, IN
Kinsey Institute International Juried Show, curated by Garry Milius, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2014 Non-Graduating MFA Exhibition, Grunwald Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2012 National Juried Show, Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, IL
Open Studio, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Deer Isle, ME
Body Language, Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, IL
Group Exhibition, Lane Allen Architects, Batavia, IL
2011 Group Exhibition, Burning Bush Gallery, Wheaton, IL
2006 Juried Exhibition, One Fine Art Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show, Loveland, CO
Public Commissions and Installations
2026 Ryan White Memorial Commission, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Bloomington Trades District Public Sculpture Project, funded through the Lilly Foundation CCC Grant
2025 Kinsey Institute Medal of Honor Commission
2022 Alfred C. Kinsey Bronze Sculpture Commission, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2017 Cyberinfrastructure Building Commission, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2016 Installation Nation, Indianapolis Art Center Sculpture Park, Indianapolis, IN
Residencies, Fellowships, and Awards
2026 College and Community Collaboration (CCC) Grant, Lilly Foundation, Bloomington, IN
2024 Sculpture Space Residency, Utica, NY
2023 International Center for the Arts Residency, Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy
IU Presidential Arts & Humanities Research Travel Award
2022 Trustee Teaching Award, Indiana University
2021 Best in Show, Fibers Exhibition, TheInArtGallery
2018 ACRE Residency, Steuben, WI
Anderson Ranch Arts Center Residency, Aspen, CO
2017 Full Fellowship Residency, Vermont Studio Center
2016 Installation Nation Award, Indianapolis Art Center
2015 Grant-in-Aid Recipient, Indiana University
Selected by Michelle Grabner for Juried Master Class, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Visitors Choice Award, Kinsey Institute International Juried Show
Dean’s Award, Grunwald Gallery Non-Graduating MFA Exhibition
2012 Haystack Mountain School of Craft Work/Study Residency, Deer Isle, ME
Best in Show, Oak Park Art League
People’s Choice Award, Body Language Exhibition
Collections
International Center for the Arts, Italy
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Indiana University
Academic Appointments
2025–Present Senior Lecturer and Area Head of Sculpture, Indiana University
2019–2025 Lecturer, Indiana University
2016–2018 Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture, Indiana University
Lectures and Visiting Artist Talks
2025 The Eternal Vine, CCC Artist Grant Lecture, Bloomington Trades District
The Potential of an Art Degree, Indiana University
2024 Spring Cohort Artist Talks, Sculpture Space, Utica, NY
2023 Climb in and Back Out Again, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN
Lineages of Birth, Bloomington, IN
On Rapture, International Center for the Arts, Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy
2021 The Nude and Sculpture, Indiana University
2019 Sculpture and Drawing, Indiana University
2017 Feed Your Self, Chicago Sculpture International
Juror
2021 Artist Mother Podcast, Painting at Night Annual Exhibition
InArtGallery, Bigger than Big Exhibition
2017 Vermont Studio Center Fellowships Juror
Selected Bibliography
2025 Cookeman, Claude. “Bloomington Sculptor Reaches ‘Punctuation Point’ with Her Latest Exhibition.” Limestone Post, May 1, 2025 Reed, Zoe. “Ryan White Died Before He Could Attend IU. Now, He’ll Be Memorialized on Campus.” Indiana Daily Student, December 10, 2025.
Rosenzweig, Brian. “Ryan White Never Got to Go to IU. A New Sculpture Ensures He Will.” The Herald-Times, December 15, 2025.
2023 “Kinsey Institute Announces Cynthia Plaster Caster Collection.” Kinsey Institute.
“Indiana Artist Melanie Cooper Pennington to be on Display at USI New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art.” University of Southern Indiana.
2022 “Sculpting Kinsey: Follow the Process of IU’s Alfred Kinsey Sculpture.” Indiana University Bloomington.
Hassfurder, Ann. “Kinsey Institute Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Bronze Sculpture of Founder Alfred C. Kinsey.” Indiana Daily Student.
Brosher, Barbara. “From Surplus to Sculptures.” IU Bloomington Today.
Boreman, Laurie D. “Kinsey Institute Still on the Cutting Edge after 75 Years.” Limestone Post.
2021 Buteyn, Kaylan. “Harnessing Our Inner Strength to Make Great Art.” Artist Mother Podcast.
Franco, Bernadine. “Melanie Cooper Pennington: Birthing, Empowerment and Beasts.” Women at the Helm.
2016 Grossman, Dan. “From Installation Nation to the Art Shack.” NUVO.
Kasender, Yael. “We’re Caught in a Trap: Melanie Pennington’s Gentle Giants.” WFIU Arts and Culture.
2013. Smith, Nan. 500 Figures in Clay. Lark Books / Union Square & Co.