ABOUT US
artwork by Jaither West
Dovetail Projects is an accessible, inclusive creative community in Philadelphia.
Through diverse artist representation, project production, event planning, and community oriented creative offerings, we seek to bring together artistic individuals and support professional artistic development. Dovetail Projects is operated by artists, educators, and cultural workers committed to building a radically inclusive creative space dedicated to connection, collaboration, kinship, and representation.
Our mission is to uplift artists — particularly those who are neurodivergent and developmentally disabled — through accessible programming, inclusive exhibitions, publication production, accessible studio space, residencies, and community partnerships. We currently activate spaces around Philadelphia, operating pop-up programming where creativity is a shared, supported, and celebrated practice.
Dovetail Projects is a sister project to THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, an independent publishing press foregrounding work by neurodivergent artists.
exhibition curation
artist representation
artwork management
workshops
mentorship
accessibility consulting
career coaching
WHAT WE DO
wHO WE ARE
Angie Melchin is an artist, advocate, and community worker with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of disability services and the arts. She specializes in designing inclusive programming across nonprofit, arts, and Medicaid service settings, with a strong track record of expanding services, leading multidisciplinary teams, and building lasting community partnerships
In 2016 she co-founded ‘I Am Studios’, a grassroots initiative that provided artists with disabilities access to studio time and creative opportunities through free weekend workshops.
Melchin’s approach is rooted in respect, creativity, and a belief in the right of all people to access meaningful, self-directed opportunities.
Samantha Mitchell is an artist, curator, writer, and arts educator who has worked with IDD artists for over thirteen years at Center for Creative Works, where she was the Exhibitions Manager. She has developed individualized portfolio and studio plans with over one hundred artists, organized hundreds of exhibitions, and facilitated dozens of projects with community partners and local artists.
Mitchell co-founded THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, a publishing company that makes books with IDD artists. Currently, she is writing and co-editing the first book on progressive art studios (Temple University Press 2027).
Mitchell has secured funding for projects from the Mellon Foundation (via Haverford College), and the Pew Foundation (via Haverford College). She is currently facilitating the Pew-funded LOOK HERE project, which includes an international symposium and three major exhibitions featuring artists from Center for Creative Works and 29 other progressive art studios from around the country.
Virginia Fleming is an artist and picture framer living in Philadelphia, PA. She is a co-founder of This Must Be The Place, a publishing house and online gallery which works with artists to publish art books and printed goods. Fleming worked at The Center for Creative Works, a studio based day program, for eight years where she was studio assistant to the artists and facilitated exhibitions prep with a focus on framing, archiving, and organizing artists' works. She has her certification in Employment Coaching and has been an advocate for artists with IDD for years. Fleming continues to work in exhibition prep along with artists in the community and makes paintings and animations in her studio at home in West Philly.