Melisa Centofanti

Artivist — Art · Food · Community · Justice

Melisa Centofanti is a Calgary-based artivist whose 25+ year practice weaves together visual art, holistic nutrition, community facilitation, social justice advocacy, and peer support — all connected through the lens of food systems and the belief that food is the most powerful community-building tool we have.

Growing up in an Italian-Canadian household, Melisa learned early that food carries history, identity, love, and politics. That understanding has shaped every facet of her professional life: from community-engaged art installations that use food materials to make social issues tangible, to her holistic nutrition practice where food becomes medicine, to Dinner Discourse gatherings — running 20+ years since 2004 — where a shared meal creates the conditions for genuine political conversation.

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Multi-Media and Drawing — University of Windsor
• Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN) with Culinary Certificate — Canadian School of Natural Nutrition
• Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) — Verge Permaculture, 2024
• Peer Support Certificate — Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), 2025
• Community Engagement Certification — relevant to public art practice

The Artivist Thesis

The word "artivist" — artist + activist — captures the refusal to separate creative practice from social commitment. In Melisa's work, art is never decoration and activism is never just protest. The weaving loom at Genesis Centre teaches food security through fibre arts. The Food Insecurity Blanket made from fused grocery bags makes poverty tangible through craft. Chento tea labels use linocut printmaking to wrap holistic nutrition in visual art.

This interconnection between disciplines is not a weakness to be managed by choosing a lane — it is the practice itself, and it is what makes the work impossible to reduce to a single line on a resume.

Current Focus

Melisa is actively pursuing opportunities in non-profit settings where creative facilitation can serve community health and wellbeing — bringing her unique combination of art facilitation, nutrition knowledge, peer support experience, and social justice commitment to organizations working with diverse and vulnerable populations. She is also continuing her studio practice, growing her permaculture knowledge, and developing new community art projects.