Press Clippings

American Artist Studios, 2011
American Celtic Ball Program - Waldorf~Astoria, Oct 20, 2011
International Artist, "A Day in the Life of Sculptor, Marc Mellon", Oct/Nov 2009
Fairfield Homes, "The Art Department", Feb 2006
Redding Pilot, "Mellon Completes Statue of Eastman", Nov 12, 2009
March of Dimes Sports Luncheon Program - Waldorf~Astoria, Dec 1, 2010
Redding Pilot, "League Offers Tour of Local Artists' Studios", Oct 13, 2011
The Indianapolis Star, "Simons Dedicate IU Cancer Center", Aug 22, 2008
Greenwich Post, "Sunday Tour a Benefit: Artists Open Studios on Oct. 16", Oct 13, 2011

Bust of Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel Completed

Elie Wiesel is internationally recognized as a writer, teacher, and human rights activist. Recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986, his other awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the U.S. Congress Congressional Gold Medal.

The author of over fifty books, his book Night, documenting his personal experience of the Nazi death camps, is required reading for students around the globe. He is Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and recently received their highest award, The Inaugural United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Award. In order to honor Wiesel’s extraordinary vision and moral stature, which not only created the Museum but inspired a worldwide movement of Holocaust remembrance and education, the award has now been named the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Elie Wiesel Award.

Along with his wife Marion, the Wiesels have established the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. The Foundation's mission, rooted in the memory of the Holocaust, is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality.

For more information: Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Kenneth E. Behring Bust Commissioned by the Smithsonian

Ken Behring’s life is literally a Horatio Alger story; in fact, he is recipient of the Horatio Alger Award For Overcoming Adversity to Achieve Success from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. Born to a hardscrabble life, through hard work and vision he became a successful car dealer, and then a successful developer in Florida, California, and now in China. An avid classic car collector, he established the Blackhawk Museum in Danville CA. Also in Danville is world headquarters for the Wheelchair Foundation, which has gifted over 865,000 wheelchairs to the indigent, globally, since 2000.

Ken’s philanthropy includes major gifts to the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of American History, the naming of which now includes Kenneth E. Behring Center. He is also sponsor of the The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest. The contest is named for Mr. Behring in recognition of his support of NHD. His bust at the museum, which captures his ebullient smile, recognizes him as Businessman, Patriot, and Philanthropist.

For more information: Wheelchair Foundation

Everett Raymond Kinstler Portrait Bust
Unveiled at National Arts Club

In May of 2011 Mellon’s bust of his friend, colleague, and mentor Everett Raymond Kinstler was unveiled at the National Arts Club in New York. Kinstler dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and working on comic books and magazine illustrations and covers, before launching his illustrious career as one of America’s foremost portrait painters. His credits include almost 2000 portraits, including close to 100 original works in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Kinstler recently received his third honorary doctorate, from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. The Norman Rockwell Museum plans an exhibition of his work in 2012, the museum’s first major exhibit of the works of an artist other than Rockwell himself.

The bust was produced during life sittings at Mellon’s Redding CT. studio.

To see works by Everett Raymond Kinstler.

Will Barnet Bust on View

May 25, 2011, artist Will Barnet celebrated his 100^th birthday. Just two weeks before Will regaled guests at the National Arts Club’s “Selected Works” exhibition, works curated by longtime residents Will Barnet and Everett Raymond Kinstler. Will spoke for a scheduled fifteen minutes, rotating through the works with back story on each of the paintings and painters he chose, followed by fifteen minutes by Ray on the works that he had curated.

Will Barnet’s bust was sculpted from life sittings at the National Arts Club when Will was considerably younger, 94 to be exact.

While the show has come down, both the bust of Barnet and Kinstler remain on view at the National Arts Club.

To see works by Will Barnet.

George Eastman Statue Dedicated
October 10, 2009
University of Rochester, River Campus

University of Rochester Trustee Larry Bloch (from left), his wife, Cindy, Trustee Gwen Meltzer Greene, Trustee Tom Sloan, and Chief Advancement Officer Jim Thompson applaud as a statue of George Eastman is introduced on the River Campus.

The University of Rochester has unveiled an 8’ high statue of George Eastman, whose vision and philanthropy helped transform the University of Rochester into a world-class university.

The statue was commissioned in conjunction with the establishment of the George Eastman Circle, a society of dedicated donors to the university. Over 1200 families have joined the GEC since it’s recent establishment.

For the University of Rochester's news release on the statue please click here.

For a short video on the University of Rochester, the George Eastman Circle, and the commissioning of the Eastman statue, please click here.

George Eastman Bronze Statue, In process

Process photos, Redding, CT

Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology

Commissioned by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

Wallace H. Coulter invented the Coulter Principle and developed the Coulter Counter, revolutionizing medical diagnostics.

Awarded Annually by the American Society of Hematology.

The 2009 Official Barack Obama Presidential Inaugural Medal

Link to Interviews:
National Public Radio (NPR)

President-elect Obama Honored with 2009 Official Presidential Inaugural Medal

Soon after the election of Barack Obama The 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee approved Mellon's portrait of Barack Obama for the 2009 Official Presidential Inaugural Medal.

Sculptor and medalist Marc Mellon modeled the portrait of Barack Obama that appears on the obverse (front) of the medal. The reverse of the medal is by well known medalist and former U.S. Mint engraver Thomas D. Rogers, Sr. The medals are being struck by Medalcraft Mint of Green Bay, WI, considered to be one of the finest private mint in America.

Sales of the medal raised funds for the inaugural events of January 20, 2009 in Washington DC.

Official Inaugural Medals have been coveted collectables going back to the beginning of the 20^th century. Theodore Roosevelt, feeling that the medal should reflect the highest standards of American art, asked the legendary sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens to design his medal. Other well-known designers of the Official Inaugural Medal include Jo Davidson, who designed an FDR medal, and Paul Manship, who designed medals for both FDR and JFK.

Mellon medallions have previously served to honor President Jimmy Carter (recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Award for Humanitarian Service) and former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (awarded the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the United States Michael Smurfit Achievement Award for his work in helping to broker the peace treaty in Northern Ireland).

The artist tried to project a thoughtful and introspective Barack Obama. Says Mellon, “I imagined Barack Obama thinking of Lincoln and of Martin Luther King, of the historic nature of his election, and of the serious challenges he's been chosen to face.”

Marc Mellon is known for portrait busts of luminaries around the globe, including bronze busts of Pope John Paul II (The Papal Apartments, The Vatican), President George HW Bush (The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution), former Taiwanese President Lee Teng Hui, and legendary entertainer Tony Bennett. Mellon's work is also well known to sports fans; he is the sculptor of both the NBA MVP Trophy (The Maurice Podoloff Trophy) and the WNBA MVP. His limited edition bronze dancers are widely collected, and have been exhibited from New York to Tokyo.