Melanie McClellan-Hartnett is a Charleston-based interdisciplinary artist and poet whose work explores memory, healing, community, ecology, and the emotional landscapes of the coastal South. Working across painting, installation, poetry, and participatory public art, she creates immersive, community-centered experiences that invite reflection, dialogue, and connection. Her practice often weaves personal narrative with collective experience, examining resilience and transformation through both intimate and shared perspectives.

Rooted in the Lowcountry, McClellan-Hartnett develops projects that combine artmaking with service, collaboration, and environmental awareness. Her installations and public works have been presented through organizations and events including Piccolo Spoleto, Smithsonian Museum on Main Street, Beeple Studios, and McClellanville Arts Center. She is also the author of the poetry collections Goodbye, Oyster Girls and Some Bad Moon.

Her work is held in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.