MCCAIG WELLES GALLERY

McCaig-Welles Gallery was founded on the belief that art has the power to reflect, disrupt, and heal. Since its inception, the gallery has championed mid-career and emerging artists whose work grew from the urban aesthetics that defined cities across the U.S. leading up to the millennium. The impact of these movements now resonates in contemporary media, pop culture, and museums worldwide.

For more than two decades, Melissa McCaig-Welles has curated exhibitions that hold a mirror to society—showcasing artists whose work challenges convention, sparks dialogue, and speaks to the times we live in. Today, her practice continues to evolve beyond the walls of the gallery, expanding into community spaces and classrooms where creativity becomes a catalyst for connection, learning, and hope.

Origins

Founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2001, McCaig-Welles Gallery has long championed artists whose work emerged from the urban aesthetics that redefined contemporary art. The gallery’s exhibitions in New York City, and abroad have showcased artists who use creativity as a mirror for social change—bringing the energy of the street into the global art conversation.

Creative Futures

Today, McCaig-Welles’ work extends beyond gallery walls into classrooms and public spaces. Melissa McCaig-Welles curates projects that bridge art, education, and social connection.
Recent example: an installation by Queen Andrea at the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu, curated for the museum’s children’s and after-school art wing—celebrating imagination, resilience, and joy.

Partnerships

McCaig-Welles and her represented artists have collaborated with institutions including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, PS1, and the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson. Through these partnerships, the gallery continues to expand art’s role in public life—connecting artists, educators, and communities in spaces of beauty, belonging, and hope.

NEW YORK CITY

Notable Exhibitions

The Future Is Now
The Highline Loft, New York City (2013)
Curated by Melissa McCaig-Welles, The Future Is Now brought together leading street and urban contemporary artists for what Brooklyn Street Art described as a “blueprint for the 21st century’s multimedia art experience.” The exhibition blended traditional and digital media, showcasing artists whose work defined the evolving visual language of contemporary urban culture.

Push It
Joseph Gross Gallery, Chelsea, New York
Curated by McCaig-Welles Gallery, Push It celebrated artists emerging from the street art movement who have redefined the urban aesthetic. Featuring artists such as INDIE184 and Tracy Piper, the exhibition explored the vibrancy, resilience, and storytelling power of the city itself—expressed through graffiti-inspired, color-saturated works that challenged and energized the gallery space.

Brooklyn Is The Borough
Doyle Auction House, Manhattan, New York
In collaboration with Doyle Auction House, Melissa McCaig-Welles curated Brooklyn Is The Borough, a dynamic exhibition honoring the creative spirit of Brooklyn. The show featured artists long associated with McCaig-Welles Gallery—pioneers of the “new contemporary” and “urban” art movements—and marked her continued curatorial work with major institutions following the closing of her Williamsburg gallery.

Then She Did
The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City (2018)
Co-curated by Melissa McCaig-Welles and Lori Zimmer, Then She Did featured works by 23 women artists, including Lady Pink and Swoon. The mixed-media exhibition explored themes of femininity, sexuality, independence, and activism through deeply personal and politically resonant works. A portion of proceeds supported WIN NYC, an organization providing housing and services for homeless women and children.

From the Streets
ArtsWestchester, White Plains, NY (2017)
Co-curated by Melissa McCaig-Welles of Curator 19.90 and Marc Leader of 212 ARTS, From the Streets celebrated the evolution of graffiti and urban art from public walls to institutional recognition. The exhibition featured large-scale murals, photography, sculpture, and installations by more than 25 internationally recognized street artists, capturing the energy and diversity of a global movement. By bringing street art into the gallery space, From the Streets invited new audiences to engage with the form as both contemporary art and cultural history.

Exhibition poster for ‘Push It,’ curated by Melissa McCaig-Welles at Joseph Gross Gallery, New York City, featuring works by INDIE184, Swoon, Maya Hayuk, Aiko, and Sheryo 2015.

Event poster for Brooklyn the Borough, a pop-up exhibition on the UES at Doyle Street, New York, May 20-21, featuring opening reception, artist mixer, and multiple artists exhibits.

Poster for ‘The Future Is Now,’ a McCaig-Welles Gallery exhibition at The Highline Loft, NYC, August 2013, featuring street and contemporary artists.

Make it stand out

Community Partnerships/ Art and Education

BRIDGING ART AND EDUCATION

From Gallery Walls to Classrooms

A Curatorial Practice Rooted in Community

Melissa McCaig-Welles recently curated an installation by New York–based artist Queen Andrea (Andrea von Bujdoss) at the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu in Madrid, Spain. The work, located in the museum’s children’s art and after-school education wing, embodies the joyful intersection of art, learning, and community that now defines McCaig-Welles’ practice.

Radiating optimism and color, Queen Andrea’s mural celebrates imagination and play—values central to McCaig-Welles’ ongoing mission to connect art and early childhood education in New York City. Through projects like this, she continues to explore how creative expression can strengthen literacy, belonging, and hope—transforming both gallery spaces and classrooms into places where art becomes connection.