Shanelle Harrison
Print-Craft Fusion
Villa Park, IL
Shanelle Harrison is a contemporary narrative artist and wreathmaker renowned for her innovative Print-Craft fusion techniques and evocative wreath-making. With a deep commitment to preserving and celebrating oral history, Harrison’s artistic practice is rooted in the belief that storytelling is vital to keeping our ancestors’ spirits alive. In her work, she ritualizes the acts of collecting, preserving, and commemorating stories, reflecting a profound exploration of personal loss and collective memory.
Harrison’s art is a journey through the fragments of her past, capturing the essence of grief and transformation. Each piece she creates is a testament to her experiences and emotions, crafted to safeguard the remnants of her history against a broader culture of erasure. Her practice is an act of both mourning and commemoration, with a particular focus on the healing potential of public grief and shared remembrance.
Recently, she has been awarded a residency at the historic Oak Park Artist League in Chicago, IL. In 2024, She received a Fulbright Research Award for her project titled ""Black Power in the Pacific: The Intersectionality of Oppressed 'Black' Cultures and Liberation through Commemoration and Storytelling."" She is a 2021 Independent Artist Awardee from the Maryland State Arts Council. She exhibited work for her solo show “Feeling Out Loud” Chroma Contemporary Arts Center in Detroit, Michigan, The Cumberland Valley Artists’ juried exhibition at The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland, The Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit, MI and The American Hungarian Foundation in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 2019, Shanelle earned her B.A. from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD and in 2024 earned her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI.