SPRINGFIELD – Sometimes you meet a real-life Wonder Woman. Such is the case of Melissa Green, a Renaissance woman in the arts, a teacher, advocate, and artist who has done so much for environmental conservation and arts education, and is the new director at the Emerald Art Center at 500 Main St.
Green is a versatile artist and educator, specializing in printmaking and painting, as well as museum and environmental education. She held several leadership roles, including executive director of ArtReach and Community Gallery in Washington, D.C., and director of community partnerships at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
She calls the murals, arts, and cultural organizations in Springfield the “jewels of the city’. She believes that the arts are “at the heart of community connection and one of the truest ways to appreciate and bring awareness to our history, environment, and humanity.”
Green, who started in her role at EAC in December 2025, has an impressive background in environmental and art projects with organizations such as The Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery, the National Park Service, and more.
In 2011, while working at Corcoran College of Art and Design, she was chosen for the First Lady’s Annual Service Project by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities to create an 80-foot mural. She collaborated with Michelle Obama on a youth mural project for the committee and received the Mayor’s Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts. One photo captures a close-up of First Lady Michelle Obama painting a “first ladybug” on the mural.
Throughout her career, she has focused on fostering community connections and collaboration. She co-authored the book “Community-Based Art Education Across a Lifespan,” served for four years as an arts commissioner in Springfield, volunteered as an exhibition interpreter, served on the steering committee at the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum, and teaches art classes.
Green previously worked as the creative engagement designer at the Cascades Raptor Center. She has designed resources for the center and led arts engagement activities for educational programs in schools.
Last month, these two passions came together when the Education Arts Collaborative, in partnership with the Cascades Raptor Center, hosted an event titled “Raptors of the Pacific Northwest.” This event featured the work of 76 artists, showcasing various birds of prey, including owls, eagles, falcons, ospreys, hawks, and vultures.
People outside the arts community may be impressed by the large-scale projects Green has contributed to, such as the mural featuring the Obamas. However, much of her impact comes from the smaller, often unnoticed activities that happen behind the scenes. These include organizing collaborations, advocating for the arts, and supporting education in schools.
She also finds time to teach printmaking classes at the Craft Center at the University of Oregon and painting classes at the Willamalane Community Center, making a real impact on many artists in small ways every day.
“Along with (Green’s) expert level of instruction, she brings to each class enthusiasm, joy, and a knack for sparking interest in the local environment and all creatures we share it with,” said Anna Jensen, a recreation coordinator at Willamalane. “Students leave class … with a newfound fascination and appreciation for the natural world. It is a true gift to be able to provide students with such a deep level of technical knowledge, while also facilitating a journey of wonder as (Green) is able to do.”
“I am thrilled to be part of EAC’s next chapter and find new ways to celebrate art and foster greater community connection in meaningful and relevant ways,” Green said.
