Mel Griffin received her BA from Carleton College in 2001, and her MFA from the University of Minnesota in 2011. For several years, she worked in the outdoor industry as an educator and guide, traveling and leading trips all over the United States and South America. In 2003, she committed herself to her art practice and worked as an apprentice for potters Doug Browe and Jan Hoyman in Ukiah, California. She has since been a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts in Montana, and Medalta International in Alberta, Canada. She currently lives and works in Minnesota.