ABOUT US

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 who are neurodivergent and developmentally disabled – a chronically underrepresented community of artists – through accessible programming, inclusive exhibitions, publications foregrounding neurodivergent artists, 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, and 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.