Mel
Chin

The work of conceptual artist Mel Chin is highly collaborative and takes myriad forms. He attended Peabody College, Nashville. Since the 1970s, Chin’s objects, installations, videos, films, television interventions, and community-engaged public works have addressed political and ecological issues. His Fundred Dollar Bill Project is “a collective artwork of three million original interpretations of the U.S. $100 bill created by children across the country. These works are delivered to the steps of Congress where an even exchange of this ‘creative capital’ is requested to obtain funding for Operation Paydirt, which offers a pragmatic, scientifically proven method to neutralize hazardous lead (Pb) that contaminates soil and compromises the health of children.

12 portraits of Mel Chin by young artists in Irving, Texas, 1997; photo credit the artist.