Merrilee Challiss’s work is a meditation on the connections that people have to Earth, believing that our evolution as a species is to become more conscious. With intentions and prayers imbedded into the process of making her art, she aims to bring divine, healing, feminine energy to the work, and the world. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and received her BA in Studio Arts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She went on to receive an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2000. She currently lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama.