COLUMBUS, Ohio—Frightening sounds and sights of dinosaurs walking the earth makes for a perfect scene in the Jurassic World Live Tour, but bringing everything to life through science, math and art takes work.
- Artist, Melanie Guinto, is a graduate of Reynoldsburg Schools and the University of Cincinnati
- Guinto has worked with Marvel Universe Live, Sesame Street Live and now Jurassic World Live
- She creates art pieces for schools that inspire kids to learn outside of the classroom
Melanie Guinto knows first-hand.
"I started as an assistant props person and now I'm a production stage manager," said Guinto. "So now, I'm helping other crew members develop their skills and train and learn and grow, which is just mind boggling to think of like the trajectory and how far I've come so far."
Guinto, a graduate of Reynoldsburg Schools, had no idea that she wanted to be an artist back then.
In fact, she wanted to be an international ambassador like Hillary Clinton, but when she got to college that changed.
"I took one drawing class in college and that was kind of what set the whole thing off and now I have a scenic art degree and I can do all these creative things to express ideas and that's really what I enjoy about art and creation," said Guinto.
From there she created murals, sculptures and other works of art in Reynoldsburg schools, often times outside of science classes.
"I liked that I could put an artistic influence on a science class, ‘cause ultimately, the class was like, science equals art. So, why not use science and math to help like inspire kids through art," said Guinto. “With a lot of the Reynoldsburg pieces, I wanted to create like what they would be learning in the classroom outside of the classroom, so it gets them in the right mindset.”
But Guinto wasn't just creating traditional art. It was art that evoked positive emotion. And it was something that would take her down a path she knew nothing about —the world of entertainment — one that would allow her to use her talent and make money while doing something she loved.
From working on live show tours with Marvel Universe, Sesame Street Live and now Jurassic World Live, Guinto is on the ride of her life, sharing with people how it all works behind the scenes.
While she's just getting started, she hopes that one day her work here will give her the opportunity to give back in a greater way.
"I want to give kids opportunities that I didn't have. And I feel like working with an artist as a kid, would have...could have potentially impacted my life," Guinto said.
But for now, she'll continue touring and making an impact where she can.
The Jurassic World Live tour runs through Sunday in Columbus at the Schottenstein Center and then moves onto Cleveland.