Miss Shayna
I have always believed that art and life are intertwined. I go on walks collecting images, objects and ideas to create collages, installations and artist books. I strive to connect audience and art, emphasizing the interactive quality of my work.
Born in 1979, I spent my first 18 years living and playing in Washington DC. I then moved to St. Louis where I cultivated a taste for bud light and a love of all things Midwestern. Since then I have spent my time living in Florence, Italy, sitting in traffic on the 405 in Los Angeles, dancing in the streets of San Francisco, secluded in the mountains of NY State, volunteering with the relief effort in Post-Katrina New Orleans and getting my hands dirty on an urban farm in Chicago.
After graduating with a BFA in 2005 from San Francisco Art Institute, I was immediately accepted to a six-month internship at Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY. There I studied papermaking, silk screening, and letterpress printing, while maintaining the studios and assisting the artists-in-residence and staff. I spent time working on the art-farm where I learned more in depth about growing fibers and the paper making process.
Since then I have assisted several artists and curators in Washington DC and the San Francisco Bay Area while continuing to volunteer regularly at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and the San Francisco Center for Book Arts.
In 2008 I moved to Chicago where I was awarded the $5,000 Aiko fellowship for my work developing the Altgeld-Sawyer Corner Farm. In this project I collaborate with community organizers, food activists, local Logan Square residents, artists, educators and neighbors to create a space emphasizing community and education. The project was one of 12 featured programs as a part of 2009 Chicago Artist Month.