Tanner Melvin - Founder/Executive Director

Tanner Melvin, M.S. is an artist, educator, and community advocate based in Elgin, Illinois. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Side Street Studio Arts and a Director of the Elgin Fringe Festival, organizations dedicated to expanding access to the arts through exhibition, performance, education, and community engagement.

Tanner earned a B.A. in Theatre, with concentrations in acting and design, and an M.S. in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration from Western Illinois University, where he focused on experiential education and interpretive programming. Before founding Side Street Studio Arts in 2013, he worked as a professional actor and designer throughout the United States and later transitioned into outdoor and experiential education, developing programs for youth and adults. His time as a Seasonal Interpretive Specialist at Dead Horse Point State Park in Moab, Utah, helped shape the educational and community-centered approach that continues to influence his work today.

As an artist, Tanner works across disciplines, with a focus on immersive experiences, installation, design, and community-based projects. He was an artist-in-residence at The Studios of Key West in 2018 and Farwell House in 2024, where he further developed his interdisciplinary and site-responsive practice.

In addition to his artistic and organizational leadership, Tanner has served on the board of the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin. In 2019, Western Illinois University recognized his contributions to recreation and arts administration with its Graduate of the Decade Award.

Today, Tanner leads the development of Side Street Studio Arts’ future home at 62 S. Grove Avenue in downtown Elgin, working alongside artists, community partners, contractors, and civic leaders to create a permanent multidisciplinary arts center for the region.