Melissa Gamez Herrera is an interdisciplinary artist who works in photography, bookmaking, printmaking, and other multimedia practices. She is from San Antonio, TX and earned a BA in Art and Art History from Colgate University in 2014. She earned an MFA in Studio Art Photography from the University of North Texas in 2020. While at Colgate, Melissa decided to pursue art using photography as a medium through which she could speak on issues of identity, community, and justice. She does this through research of events related to violations of human rights and the way art can be used to interpret and create a pathway to collective healing. Melissa has participated in exhibitions throughout the state of Texas and was the winner of the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas Fund Award, and was the Society of Photographic Education Portfolio Throwdown Winner in 2019. In 2023, her work is being exhibited in the Soy de Tejas exhibition at the Centro de Artes Gallery in San Antonio, curated by Rigo Luna. She is also featured in the Contemporary Art Month exhibition called Picking at Scabs in the Michael and Noémi Neidorff Art Gallery at Trinity University, curated by Gil Rocha.